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OGIS: 740


PETITION OF THE PRIESTS OF HERON AT MAGDOLA

Greek text:   IFayoum_3.152 
Provenance:   Magdola , Egypt
Date:    95 B.C.
Tags:     inviolability
Format:   see key to translations

Only part A of this inscription was published in OGIS. The propylon where it was placed had been dedicated 23 years earlier, as recorded in another inscription ( Greek text: IFayoum_3.151 ).

The translation is adapted from the commentary by K.J. Rigsby, "Asylia", pp. 549-553 ( Google Books ).


[A]   On behalf of King Ptolemaios also called Alexandros and Queen [ Kleopatra ] his sister, the gods Philometores Soteres, and of their children and ancestors, to Heron the greatest god. Year [20],Phamenoth 1. 

[B]   To King Ptolemaios also called Alexandros, god Philometor, greetings from Herodes son of Charidemos [and] Herodes son of Neilos, both of the troop of the first division: 10 as there is at Magdola a temple of Heron, greatest god, and also derelict sections of the sacred land, on which the bordering shoreline washes, and in the temple are painted images of you, greatest king, and your ancestors, with sacrifices and libations and the other rites in behalf of you, victory-bringing king, and your children celebrated night and day; but as now the aforesaid temple has been wholly forsaken, 20 not only because officials continually come to accuse and intimidate so as to harass and extort from the aforesaid temple, but also because in the collections that happen continually in the village they try to tax the priests from the temple, contrary to what is just, and in general they are always improperly demanding of the aforesaid derelict sacred land the ninth (?) tax and the cubit tax: therefore we ask the most gracious and divine king, 30 by the piety you have toward the divine, to grant us by edict that the aforesaid temple be inviolable, and to place stone steles inscribed in Greek and native writing before the stone propylon of the temple, to order Ptolemaios your kinsman and hypomnematographos and epistrategos to write to Lysanias your kinsman and strategos of the nome that, conforming to the request, 40 he allow no one to make collections or extort or enter the temple and demand anything of us or the officiating priests or the prophet or to disturb them in any way, or any of the derelict sacred land on any excuse, so that many may the more eagerly celebrate the rites and we ourselves may be benefitted.

[C]   To Lysanias: direct that no one force his way in. Farewell. Year 20, Hathyr 18.

[D]   50 To the epistates: act in accordance with the orders. Year 20, Mecheir 10.  

inscription 741


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