Unknown, Military Account of Military Camels, P.Nessana 37
https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/440
Context
Excavations in 1935-1937 by Princeton University at the site of
Nessana, a Nabataean city in the Negev Desert on the Egyptian frontier, uncovered an
important assemblage of literary and documentary texts on papyri. These texts are
distinguished by their overall relatively good state of preservation, the variety of
their forms and contents, and their testimony for life at Nessana and in the broader
region during the Byzantine to Islamic transition. This text written thickly but
consistently was originally rolled and tied with a string and a mud seal; it survives in
a fragmentary state, missing the beginning and end and several segments. The document
records camels and their drivers who were detached from their units, under the command
of “sergeants” (δέκαρχος = decurio) for missions abroad, including
both Caesarea and Egypt. The dispatching of camels from the fort at Nessana to Caesarea
might be a specific requisition from a central office. See Kraemer 1958, pp.
114-116.
Text
Traces (1-4 lines)[+ γνῶσι(ς)] καμ[ήλων ̣ ̣] ἀ̣πελθ( ) εἰς κ̣ ̣[ ca.
? ] (5)[π(α)ρ(ὰ) τοῦ] δεκ(άρχου) Σεργ̣[ίου Ἀ]μμονίου̣ κά(μηλος)[ ca. ? ]
κ̣ά̣(μηλος)[ ca. ? ] κ̣(άμηλος)Ἑ̣ρ̣μ̣όλα[ος ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣]ο̣υ̣ κ(άμηλος)Στέφανος
Ἀ̣β̣ρ̣[αα]μ̣ίου κ(άμηλος) (10)Ἰωάννες Κ̣ ̣ ̣[ ca. ? κ(άμηλος)][ ca. ? κ(άμηλος)]Ἀ̣βραάμι̣[ος ca. ? κ(άμηλος)]Ιμ̣ο̣μ̣αερος [ ca. ? ] κ(άμηλος)+ γνο͂σι(ς) καμέλον [
̣ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣] ̣ντα εἰς Κεσαρία̣ν (15)π(α)ρ(ὰ) τοῦ δεκ(άρχου)
Σεργίου̣ [ ̣] ̣[ ̣ ̣] ̣ι̣ουΟὐάλες Φε̣σ̣α̣ν̣[ου ca. ? ] κά(μηλος) αΓεόργις Σ̣α
̣ανου [ ca. ? κά(μηλος) α]Οὐάλες Γ̣ερμ̣ανοῦ̣ [ ca. ? κά(μηλος) α]Σαδαλλας
Α̣λ̣μοζ̣[ ca. ? ] κ̣ά(μηλος) α (20)Μ̣έ̣λις • • — κά(μηλος) αδ̣εκ(άρχου)Ζονενος
Ἀβρααμίου̣ κά(μηλος) αἸωάννες Ανουνε̣ς̣ κ̣ά(μηλος) αδεκ(άρχου) Αβδαλλας Ε̣ι̣ ̣[ ̣
̣] (25)Στέφανος Μαρίνου̣ κά(μηλος) αἸωάνις Ἀμμονίου̣ κά(μηλος) αἸωάννες
Στεφ(άνου) Ουαηβου κά(μηλος) αδ̣ε̣κ(άρχου) ἙρμογένουΖονενος Ζαβεου — κά(μηλος) α
(30)Γ̣εόργις Βουσιν — — κά(μηλος) α[Ἀ]βραάμις Οὐλίου κά(μηλος) α[Γ]ε̣ό̣ργις
Ζονενου κά(μηλος) α εἰς Ἔγυ̣π̣τον[Ἀβ]ραάμις Αεδου — κά(μηλος) αδεκ(άρχου) Στεφάνου
Ζονενου κά(μηλος) α (35)Ἰωάνες υἱός — — κά(μηλος) αἈμμόνις Ἰάλετος κά(μηλος) α[Ο]ὐάλες Στεφ(άνου) Οεδο(υ) κά(μηλος) αΦεσανες Αλλαφαλ(λου) κά(μηλος) αΘώαμος
Βίκτορ(ος) κά(μηλος) α εἰς Ἔγυπτον (40)[δ]εκ(άρχου) Ἰωάννου Ἀβρααμίου κά(μηλος) α[Σέ]ρ̣γις Ααμονα κά(μηλος) αΠ̣αλλάδις Κεφαλανου κά(μηλος) αΘώαμος Αββου κά(μηλος)
αΖονενος Αζαλες κά(μηλος) α (45)[δεκ(άρχου) ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣] Ο̣υ̣α̣λ̣ει[ο]υ̣ κά(μηλος) α
Ἰ̣ωάννε[ς ̣ ̣] ̣ερο[υ] \κ(άμηλος) [α]/[Ἀβ]ρ̣αάμις Αλοβεου κά(μηλος) α[Αλ]ο̣βεος
Σεργίου κά(μηλος) α-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --1
Textual Note
Ed. Kraemer 1958Corrigenda Note
Minor corr. (common errors and phonetic variants from app. crit.)Translation
+ Registry: Camel departed to C(aesarea?) (5)
From sergeant
Sergios son of Ammonios camel[ ] camel[ ] camelHermolaos [ ] camelStephanos
son of Abraamios camel (10)Ioannes son of K[ camel][ camel]Abramios [ camel]Imomaeros [ ] camel
+ Registry: camel (departed) to Caesarea
(15)
From Sergeant Sergios [Patrikios or Ammonios?]
Vale(n)s son of Fesanos 1
camelGeorgi(o)s son of Sa(d?)anos [ 1 camel]Vale(n)s son of Germanos [ 1 camel]Sadallas son of Almoz[ 1 camel] (20)Melis (?) 1 camel
From Sergeant
Zonenos
son of Abraamios 1 camelIoannes son of Anoune(?) 1 camel
From Sergeant Abdallas
son of I[ ] (25)
Stephanos son of Marinos 1 camelIoannes son of Ammonios 1 camelIoannes son of Stephanos Vaeros(?) 1 camel
From Sergeant Hermogenes
Zonenos
son of Zaveos 1 camel (30)Georgios son of Vousin(?) 1 camelAbraamis son of
Oulios(?) 1 camelGeorgios son of Zenonos 1 camel to EgyptAbraamis son of Aedos 1
camel
From Sergeant Stephanos son of Zenonos 1 camel (35)
Ioannes son (?) 1
camelAmmonis Ialetos(?) 1 camelVale(n)s son of Stephanos Oedos(?) 1 camelFesanos son of Allaphallos 1 camelThoamas son of Victor 1 camel to Egypt (40)
From Sergeant Ioannos son of Abraamios 1 camelSergios Aamona(?) 1 camelPalladis
son of Kephalanos 1 camelThoamas son of Abbos 1 camelZonenos Azales(?) 1 camel
(45)
From Sergeant [ ] son of Valeios 1 camel / Ioannes son of (Golm?)eros 1 camelAbraamis son of Alobeos 1 camelAlobeos son of Sergios 1 camel-- -- -- -- -- -- --
-- -- --
Translation Note
Trans. J. L. RifeDiscussion Note
On line 22, Kraemer (1958, p. 117): “Omission of the decarch’s names seems to indicate that the men were requisitioned by someone who did not know to whose unit they belonged.”Works Cited
- 1 Casper John Kraemer, Jr., Excavations at Nessana 3: Non-Literary Papyri, vol. 3, 3 vols., Nessana: Results of the Excavation Undertaken by the Colt Archaeological Institute in 1937 (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1958), entry: 36, p: 111-113.
How to Cite This Entry
Joseph L. Rife, “Unknown, Military Account of Military Camels, P.Nessana 37,” in Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, entry published April 28, 2023, https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/440.
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Bibliography:
Joseph L. Rife, “Unknown, Military Account of Military Camels, P.Nessana 37.” In Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, edited by Joseph L. Rife., edited by Joseph L. Rife. Caesarea City and Port Exploration Project, 2023. Entry published April 28, 2023. https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/440.About this Entry
Entry Title: Unknown, Military Account of Military Camels, P.Nessana 37
Authorial and Editorial Responsibility:
- Joseph L. Rife, general editor, Vanderbilt University
- Joseph L. Rife, editor, Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia
- David A. Michelson, Daniel L. Schwartz, and William L. Potter, technical editor, “Unknown, Military Account of Military Camels, P.Nessana 37”
- Joseph L. Rife, entry contributor, “Unknown, Military Account of Military Camels, P.Nessana 37”
Additional Credit:
- TEI record created by Joseph L. Rife
- Testimonium translated by Joseph L. Rife
- Testimonium transcribed by Joseph L. Rife
- Testimonium identified by Joseph L. Rife