Many of the papyri that were extracted from cartonnage found at Ghoran in the Fayum contain contracts of surety, written in the second half of the 3rd century B.C.; a brief summary of these papyri is available in Trismegistos. The contracts were written in demotic, usually with Greek summaries; however most of the Greek texts remain unpublished. Although most of the names mentioned in the texts are Egyptian, there are also a few Greeks; see M-P. Chaufray, "Greeks in the Bilingual Sureties of the Fayum, 3rd c. BC" ( PDF ).
These translations are adapted from F. de Cenival, "Cautionnements démotiques du début de l'époque ptolémaïque" (1973).
[A] P. Lille. Dem. 2 37 [ TM 4425 ] ; 224 B.C.
{ Inner text } In year 23, which is equivalent to year 24, in the 2nd month of peret {Mecheir} of the eternally living King Ptolemy, Pa-hy the eldest son of Padiusir, declares: "I have acted as surety for Heregebtis son of Ragomis, in a guarantee of payment of 2½ kites."
Signed by: Hor, son of Petoys.
{ Outer text } In year 23, which is equivalent to year 2[4] of the eternally living King Ptolemy, son of Ptolemy. The shepherd of the village of Apias, Padiusir the elder, son of Pa-hy, whose mother is Ti-erou, declared to Apollonios, the oikonomos of the district of Themistos, and to Padikhonsu, [son of Imhotep, the topogrammateus]:
I have acted as surety for Heregebtis, son of Ragomis, the brewer (?) of the village of Apias, in a guarantee of payment of 2½ kites, their [half being] 1¼ kites; that is, 2½ kites. I am obliged to you to pay the aforementioned 2½ kites to the royal bank, within two days of any claim that you submit to me for them. Any money from this sum that I have not paid in accordance with the above-mentioned provisions, I will pay, along with an additional half, within two days after the aforementioned two-day period, necessarily and without delay. I cannot say, "I have paid the money for this sum," without a receipt, or "I have fulfilled the obligation of the above-mentioned document for you," as long as the above-mentioned document is in your hands. All things in my possession, and anything I may acquire, constitute security for the above-mentioned document until I have acted in accordance with it for you. Your representative is authorised with regard to all the clauses that he will discuss with me, concerning all the aforementioned provisions; and I will fulfill them at his command, necessarily and without delay.
Signed by: Padiusir, son of Pa-ỉmn;
Signed by: Pa-sy, son of Pa-sy;
signed by: Padimen, son of Imhotep;
signed by: Marres, son of Thotomous.
Four other contracts of surety for the same brewer have survived, with almost identical wording. The other guarantors are:
P. Lille. Dem. 2 34 : The royal farmer from the village of Apias, Irethorerru son of Pachrates, whose mother is Bastetiiti
P. Lille. Dem. 2 36 : The farmer Marres, son of Horemheb, whose mother is Taüneshet
P. Lille. Dem. 2 38 : The farmer (?) of the village of Apias, Bel the elder, son of Thoteus, whose mother is Tadiusir
P. Lille. Dem. 2 55 : The royal farmer of the village of Apias, Hor, son of Pangosbis, whose mother is Bastetiiti
Two other contracts for the same man, which have not yet been published, are mentioned by W. Clarysse ( PDF ).
[B] P. Lille. Dem. 2 51 [ TM 4481 ] ; 223 B.C.
In year 24, which is equivalent to year 25, in the 2nd month of peret {Mecheir} of the eternally living king Ptolemy, son of Ptolemy and Arsinoē the gods Adelphoi and the gods Euergetes. The . . . of Herishef, the great god, Pa-hy son of Pasis, whose mother is Tetoys, declared to Aristokritos, the oikonomos of the district of Themistos and to Horemheb, son of Hornebankh, the royal scribe:
I have acted as surety for Sebekemheb son of Hormaihes and Marres son of Herishef-em-heb, who are registered by their word for the oil work of the Village-of-Sobek Ptolemais, regarding the tax of year 25, as subcontractors (?) of Marres-pa-houi, son of Djedher, who is registered by his word for the oil work of The Island of the Dog and its supply of oil for the aforementioned year, in a guarantee of payment of 2½ kites, their half is 1¼ kites, that is, 2½ kites, the price of the oil that was assigned to them as prbwlȝ for the aforementioned village. I am obliged to you to pay the aforementioned 2½ kites on behalf of the aforementioned persons, to the royal bank, on the day I am told: "Pay!", necessarily and without delay, without my being able to say: "I have paid money for this sum," without a valid receipt. All things, all the property in my possession and what I may acquire constitute the guarantee of all the above clauses, necessarily and without demur. Your representative is the one who is authorised with regard to all the clauses that he will discuss with me, concerning all the aforementioned provisions; and I will fulfill them at his word, necessarily and without demur.
Signed by: Sebekemheb, son of Palous;
Signed by: Hor, son of Miysis;
Signed by: Pa-hy (son of) Psenobastis;
Signed by: Imhotep (?) son of Djedher;
Signed by: Marres, son of Padiusir;
Signed by: Sebekemheb, son of Hormaihes and Marres [son of] Herishef-em-heb, saying: "Do so (?), Pa-hy!, pay the 2½ kites mentioned above; we will pay them (?)" . . .
[C] P. Lille. Dem. 2 52 [ TM 4482 ] ; 227 B.C.
. . . the . . . (?) of the Village-of-Sobek Per-Chelemenet, of the Arsinoite nome [. . . declared]:
I have acted as surety for the lady Takhonsu, daughter of Nakhtious, whose mother is Djedher, in the written agreement according to which she will sell the beer . . . (?), in a guarantee of presence, and I will ensure that she remains present before you in this Village-of-Sobek, doing her work of selling the beer, from year 20, 3rd month of peret {Phamenoth}, until year 21, the last day of the 3rd month of peret, which is one (?) year, or 12⅙ months, or one year again; without her being able to have recourse to the place of oath, the place of asylum, the altar of Queen Arsinoē, the divine temple, nor to any [other place] in the world that is protected against you. Whenever you ask me for her, if I do not bring her to you within two days - away from the place of the oath, the place of asylum, the altar [of] Queen Arsinoē, the divine temple, or any place [in the world that is protected] against you - [I] will do everything that you tell me, in accordance [with all the aforementioned provisions, necessarily and] without demur. All things, all the property in my possession, and whatever I may acquire constitute [the guarantee of] the obligations in the above document, until I have acted in accordance with it. Your [representative is the one who] is authorised with regard to all the clauses that he will discuss with me, concerning all [the aforementioned provisions] . . . .
[D] P. Lille. Dem. 2 69 [ TM 4447 ] ; 226 B.C.
{ Inner text } Chairophanes, son of Apollonios: guarantee of presence; 2 deben, their half is 1 deben, that is 2 deben. Guarantee of presence for Keltous, son of Padiusir.
{ Outer text } In year 21, which is equivalent to year 22, the first month of peret {Tybi} of the eternally living King Ptolemy, son of Ptolemy and Arsinoē, the gods Adelphoi. The Greek [donkey driver (?)] Chairophanes, son of Apollonios, declared to Apollonios, the oikonomos of the district of Themistos, and to Imhotep, son of Paueris, the royal scribe:
I have acted as surety for the brewer (?) of the Village-of-Sobek Philagris, Keltous son of Padiusir, with a guarantee of presence of 2 deben, which is 10 staters, that is two deben. I am obliged to you to ensure that he remains present for you - without having resort to the divine temple, the place of oath, the royal altar, or any place protected from you - until year 22, which is equivalent to year 23, the last day of the third month of peret {Phamenoth}. If I fail to ensure that he remains present for you - without being able to resort to the divine temple, the place of oath, the royal altar, or a place protected from you - until the aforementioned period is completed, I will pay [the aforementioned 2 deben to the royal bank] within .. [days] . . . I will not be able to say: "I have fulfilled the obligation of the above document for you," as long as the above document is in your hands. All things, all the property in my possession, and everything I may acquire constitute the guarantee of all [the clauses] mentioned above.
Signed by: Oaphres, son of Stotoetis.
Signed by: . . . . . ., who declares: "I am a guarantor of presence for the sum of the two aforementioned deben."
Signed by: Djehuti-...., son of . . .
. . .
[E] P. Lille. Dem. 2 76 [ TM 4478 ] ; 222 B.C.
{ Outer text } In year 25, which is equivalent to year 26, the first month of peret {Tybi}, of King Ptolemy, the eternally living son of Ptolemy, [and of Arsinoē, the gods Adelphoi. The farmer,] servant of Sobek, Herishefiu son of Padisobek (?), whose mother is Nesuret, [declared] to Aristokritos, the oikonomos of the district of Themistos, and to [Horemheb, son of] Hornebankh, the royal scribe:
I have stood surety for Artemidoros, son of Agathon, the washerman of Philoteris, in a guarantee of payment of 5 kites, their half being 2½ kites, that is, 5 kites, for the natron work in the aforementioned village. [I am obliged to you] to pay the [5 kites] mentioned above to the [royal] bank [for the] natron work in the aforementioned village within two days after the claim for them has been made to me, necessarily and without demur. All things in my possession, and whatever I may acquire constitute the guarantee of the [above] document. I will not be able to] say: "I gave the money or the grain for this sum," without a receipt, [as long as the] above document is in your hands.
Signed by: Iahmes, son of Pamenches;
[Signed by:] . . . son of Herinpu;
Signed by: Sebekiu (?), son of Padisobek;
. . .
Signed by: Hor, son of Wennefer . . .
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