Theophanes of Hermopolis, Trip to Antioch, P.Ryl. 4.630*.385-398
https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/506
Context
One of the more interesting sources for travel, commerce, and food in
the eastern Mediterranean during Late Antiquity is a varied dossier of administrative,
financial, and domestic documents and letters that survive on papyri
(P.Ryl. 4 and P.Herm.Rees; see Matthews 2006). This
archive belonged to one Theophanes, a successful businessman and prominent resident of
Hermopolis in the Egyptian Thebaid during the early 4th century C.E. Memoranda from a
trip he made from Hermopolis to Syrian Antioch during late winter to summer of ca. 320
C.E. provide precious testimony for daily life and exchange along the way, including
stopovers at Caesarea going in both directions. In this passage, Theophanes records his
purchase of olive oil at Caesarea on July 30 (Mesore 6).
Text
ϛ´ [ἐν ἀλλ]αγῇ (380)[τιμ(ῆς)] οἴνου εἰς ἄριστ(ον) (δραχμαὶ) τ´α̣[
̣ ̣ ̣] ̣( ) βατέλλ(ης) (δραχμαὶ) τ̣´ἐν Κεσ[αρί]ᾳ̣
ἐλ̣[αίου
κιβ]α̣ρ̣(ίου) (δραχμαὶ) υ´[ -ca. ?- ] ̣ (δραχμαὶ) [ - ca.?- ] (390)[ -ca. ?- ] ̣
(δραχμαὶ) [ - ca.?- ][ -ca. ?- ] (δραχμαὶ) [ ̣][ -ca. ?- ][ -ca. ?- ] (δραχμαὶ)
ρ´[ -ca. ?- ] ̣ ̣ (δραχμαὶ) ρ´ (395)[ἐν τ]ῷ ταβερνίῳ με[τὰ Δίω]νος καὶ
Ἑρμοδώρ(ου) (δραχμαὶ) ̣γ̣(ίνονται) τῆς ἡ[μέρ(ας)] (δραχμαὶ) Δ1
Textual Note
Ed. Roberts and Turner 1952Corrigenda Note
Minor corrections (punctuation)Translation
6 (Mesore): At the staging post (380)[Cost] of wine for lunch 300
drachmai[….] dish 300 drachmaiAt Kes[ari]a [ord]inary
ol[ive oil] 400 drachmai[lines 390-393 fragmentary][….] 100 drachmai[….] 100
drachmai[in th]e lodging wi[thDio]n and Hermogenes [ ] drachmaiTotal for the
day 4,000 drachmai2
Translation Note
Trans. Matthews 2006Works Cited
- 1 C. H. Roberts and E. G. Turner, eds., Catalogue of the Greek Papyri in the John Rylands Library IV: Documents of the Ptolemaic, Roman, and Byzantine Periods (Nos. 552-717) (Manchester: University Press, 1952), bk: 4.630*, line: 385-398.
- 2 John Matthews, The Journey of Theophanes: Travel, Business, and Daily Life in the Roman East (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2006), p: 134.
How to Cite This Entry
Joseph L. Rife, “Theophanes of Hermopolis, Trip to Antioch, P.Ryl. 4.630*.385-398,” in Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, entry published April 28, 2023, https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/506.
Show full citation information...
Bibliography:
Joseph L. Rife, “Theophanes of Hermopolis, Trip to Antioch, P.Ryl. 4.630*.385-398.” 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/506.About this Entry
Entry Title: Theophanes of Hermopolis, Trip to Antioch, P.Ryl. 4.630*.385-398
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, “Theophanes of Hermopolis, Trip to Antioch, P.Ryl. 4.630*.385-398”
- Joseph L. Rife, entry contributor, “Theophanes of Hermopolis, Trip to Antioch, P.Ryl. 4.630*.385-398”
Additional Credit:
- Testimonium edited by Joseph L. Rife
- 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
- Editorial review by Joseph L. Rife