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Last Updated on 03 Jan 2019

Author: Mario C.D. Paganini

CAPInv. 856: U-EGY-026

I. LOCATION

i. Geographical area Egypt
ii. Nome Arsinoites (00)
iii. Site Philadelpheia

II. NAME

i. Association with unknown name U-EGY-026

III. DATE

i. Date(s) ii - i BC

V. SOURCES

i. Source(s) C.Ptol.Sklav. 91 (II-I BC)
Note Other editions of the text: SB III 7182.
Online Resources The online edition is SB III 7182.
TM 7275
i.a. Source type(s) Papyrological source(s)
i.b. Document(s) typology & language/script Fragmentary records of minutes and accounts of an association in Greek.
i.c. Physical format(s) Papyrus.

VI. BUILT AND VISUAL SPACE

ii. References to buildings/objects θεσαυρός, thesauros (ll. 12, 62)
ἱπποκοινάριον, hippokoinarion (l. 45)
σκευοθήκη, skeuotheke (ll. 46, 79)
Ἰσιεῖον, Isieion (l. 43)

VII. ORGANIZATION

ii. Leadership The associations had an ἐπιμελητής, epimeletes (l. 15). His name was Hermias. On the title of epimeletes to indicate the leader of an association, cf. San Nicolò 1972: 61.
Eponymous office The wording in ll. 12-15 ἐπὶ] | τῆς π[αρ]α̣λ̣[ήμ]|ψεως Ἑρμ[ίο]υ τοῦ | ἐπιμελητ̣ο̣ῦ, epi | tes paralem|pseos Hermiou tou | epimeletou, may be interpreted as indicating the eponymous character of the office.
Known practice of appointment The wording in ll. 12-15 ἐπὶ] | τῆς π[αρ]α̣λ̣[ήμ]|ψεως Ἑρμ[ίο]υ τοῦ | ἐπιμελητ̣ο̣ῦ, epi | tes paralem|pseos Hermiou tou | epimeletou, indicates the acceptance or taking up of the appointment by Hemias. However no indication on the way in which the appointment took place is given.
iii. Members Next to ordinary members (the terminology for which is not recoded), there were ξένοι, xenoi (l. 24, 39). One of the xenoi in l. 15, Thribon, later appeared as a regular member: if we are dealing with the same man, he joined the association in the meantime.
iv. Officials The association had a ἱεροποιός, hieropoios (ll. 47, 80). The man was called Dikaios.
Eponymous officials The wording διὰ ἱεροποιοῦ Δικαίου, dia hieropoiou Dikaiou (l. 47) and the genitive absolute ἱερ̣ο̣π̣[ο]ι̣[ο]ῦ [Δ]ι̣[καίου], hieropoiou Dikaiou (l. 80) point to an eponymous office.

VIII. PROPERTY AND POSSESSIONS

i. Treasury/Funds The association had funds at their disposal which they administered and recorded appropriately, as they received contributions by the members and paid for expenses for wine and entertainment. Mention of ἐν κοινῷ en koino (l. 59) may refer to common funds; however the context is fragmentary.
iii. Income On the basis of what one can gather from the fragmentary records of the association, they received regular payments by the members. In one instance we see a total of 4,545 copper drachmae being collected by the association from its members (ll. 1-8); in another instance 1,590 copper drachmae were spent for musical entertainment and drinks (ll. 35-41). Contributions were indicated as συμβολαί, symbolai (l. 38). Some (in one case the epimeletes) were exempt: ἀσ]ύμβολοι, asymboloi (l. 58, 90).

IX. MEMBERSHIP

i. Number The total number of different members recorded in the present text is eleven or twelve. It is uncertain whether they constituted the entire membership.
ii. Gender Men
Note All the name recorded are male names.
iv. Status On the basis of onomastics and the humble places where the association met, it has been suggested that the members were of servile standing, or at any rate of little means. However, the members of the association were well above the subsistence level if they could afford to pay regularly for the club's leisurely activities (drinking-parties and entertainment).
vi. Proper names and physical features Ἑ̣ρ̣μ̣ί̣α̣ς̣
Κάμαξ
Κα̣ι̣ῆς
Δίκαιος
Ψαμμήτιχος
Θώραξ
Κάρπος
Βάχχο̣ς,
Δημᾶς / Δημήτριος,
[ -ca.?- ]γέ̣ντες
Θίβρων

X. ACTIVITIES

ii. Meetings and events It seems that the association met regularly: in fragment 4 of the records we have evidence of two meetings being held five days apart, on 10th and 15th day of the same (unmentioned) month. We have evidence of meetings with six, seven, and eight members; the epimeletes was always present. Their meetings took place in various locations, which the associations presumably did not own but which were let or at any rate made available to them: a granary (thesauros: ll. 12, 62), a shrine of Isis (Isieion: l. 43), the harness-room (skeuotheke: ll. 46, 79) at the stables (hippokoinarion: l. 45). The association gathered for sociable purposes, with drinking parties and some musical entertainment: wine is mentioned as being paid for (ll. 40, 70, 94, 112) as well as compensations for a flute-player (αὐλητής, auletes: ll. 37-38, 95) and a dancer (κίναιδος, kinaidos: l. 96).

XII. NOTES

iii. Bibliography San Nicolò, M. (1972), Ägyptisches Vereinswesen zur Zeit der Ptolemäer und Römer. 2nd edn. München.

XIII. EVALUATION

i. Private association Certain
Note The presence of an epimeletes, of an organised structure with durable intent, with a system of contributions, an organisation of the membership, and common activities, make it certain that this was a private association.