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Ancient Egyptian Texts:  7.23


LEASE OF LAND AT PHILADELPHIA


Text:   P. BM 10560   [ TM 46008 ]
Provenance:   Philadelpheia
Date:   September? 190 B.C.
Script:   Demotic
Translated by:   : C.J. Martin
Format:   see key to translations

The translation of this document is taken from C.J. Martin, "A Demotic land lease from Philadelphia: P. BM 10560" ( JEA , 1986 ).


Year 15, Mesore, of Pharaoh Ptolemy son of Ptolemy and Arsinoe, the gods Philopatores; the priest of Alexander and the gods Adelphoi, the gods Euergetai, the gods Philopatores and the gods Epiphaneis being Antipatros son of Dionysios, Btrȝ daughter of Hipalos being athlophoros before Berenike Euergetis, Athenodora 5[being] kanephoros before Arsinoe Philadelphos and Eirene being the priestess [of] Arsinoe Philopator.

Said the Guardian [of] the Ram [of] the Sobek town of Philadelphia and the Sobek town of Pr-ḥȝt, priest of Amenemope of the temple of Amenemope at the aforementioned Philadelphia, Petesukhos, son of Herius, otherwise called . . ., his mother being [Hr.]ṱ-ʿnḫ to the farmer Herakleides, son of Kallistratos, his mother being Kolluthes:

I have leased to you 3 arouras of land [their half] 1½ arouras of land, making 3 arouras of land [again in the temple]-domain of the Ram of the aforementioned town, in tȝ sḫ.t 10 of [Tȝ-ʿny], the boundaries of which are: [south], the way of [Pharaoh; north], the temple-domain of Anubis; east [the canal]; west, the temple-domain of Harmotnis. Completion of the boundaries of the aforementioned lands again. You are to stock them with cattle and equipment and you are to carry out all the tasks of the farmer with your equipment of the free man . . . from year 15, Mesore, until year 16, Epeiph, making one year of sowing. You are to pay to me the rent of the aforementioned lands at the rate of 1⅓ artabas of wheat to 1 aroura of land, which amounts to 4 artabas of wheat, their half 2, making 4 artabas of wheat again. The rent of the aforementioned 3 arouras of land for the one year is to be all in seed-grain which is pure, unadulterated 15 and measured by the receiving-measure of Pharaoh and [its gst] which is sound transported and delivered to me at my house which is in Philadelphia [in] year 16, Pakhons or Payni, compulsorily and without delay. As for the seed-grain thereof which [you] fail to deliver in its aforementioned [time of] delivery, [you] shall deliver it increased by one half in the month after the stipulated month, compulsorily and without delay. You have given to me 2 artabas of wheat, their half 1, making 2 artabas of wheat again, subject to claim. I have received them from you, my heart being satisfied with them and they being complete without any remainder. [I am] to take them, and I am 20 to credit them to your account within the aforementioned days of the aforementioned one year. If I hold back the aforementioned lands from you or if any man in the world casts you out from them, I will cause them to be far from you. If I do not cause them to be far from you, I shall give to you 100 silver deben, their half making 50 silver deben, making [100 silver deben] again, in one day in five days of not causing them to be far from you, which I shall do compulsorily and without delay. You still have a claim on me [to cause] them to be far from you in the one aforementioned year. Everything which is mine and that which I shall acquire is the security of the right of the aforementioned lease. I shall not be able to say: 'I have acted in accordance with everything aforementioned', 25 while the lease stands between us. You have a claim on me to perform them in accordance with everything aforementioned compulsorily and without delay. I am to remove every matter of Pharaoh [concerning which one will have a claim on you] in the name of the [fields] in the aforementioned time. . . .

The aforementioned Herakleides says to the aforementioned Petesukhos, son of Herieus:

You have leased to me the 3 arouras of land in the aforementioned temple-domain of Amun. I am to pay their rent in accordance with that which is written above. If I abandon the aforementioned lands by [not working] them in the aforementioned time, I shall pay to you their rent, in accordance with that which is written above, compulsorily and without delay.

They, the two [aforementioned] people, say with one accord: 'All and everything which is ours together with that which we shall 30 acquire is the security of the right of the [aforementioned] lease.' We shall not be to say: 'This is a lease which has changed as to year.' We shall not be able to say: 'We have acted in accordance with everything aforementioned', while the aforementioned lease stands between us. One has a claim upon the other amongst us to act in accordance with everything aforementioned, compulsorily and without delay.

Written by Petebastis, son of Amenneus.

{ Back }   A lease which Petesukhos, son of Herieus made for Herakleides for 3 arouras of land in the temple-domain of Amun {seal} for the growth of year 16.

{ There follow the names of twelve witnesses. }


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