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Egyptian Texts:  7.19


AGREEMENT TO PROVIDE SURETY FOR A PRISONER


Text:   P. Lille dem. 4   [ TM 2857 ]
Provenance:   Kom Medinet Ghuran   ( Ghôran )
Date:   247 B.C.
Language:   Demotic
Translated by:   H. Sottas
Format:   see key to translations

Like many other official documents, this agreement was written in duplicate; the inner version is shown here.   The translation is adapted from H. Sottas, "Papyrus démotiques de Lille", pp.14-15 ( archive.org ).  


[The year 38, that is] the year 39, 20 Tybi, under king Ptolemy, son of Ptolemy;  [the royal cultivator of City-of-Sobek Arsinoē, Teos], son of P-ʿo-zz, whose mother is Herieus, [says] to Philoxenos, chief of police of the district of Themistes [and to . . .]igenes:  I stand surety for the royal cultivator Gyl-Isis, son of Thotemheb, whose mother is Tatemounis, who is imprisoned by you.  [You] entrusted him to me and I will have him appear before you or your representative in the City-of-Sobek Arsinoē, in the above-mentioned district, from the year [38], 5 [which is the year 39,] on the 20th Tybi above mentioned, during all the time that you will spend as inspector of the aforementioned district.  If you summon him, I will bring him to the place where you will tell me to bring him [in the] Arsinoite [nome] and within 5 days of your summons, during all the time that you will spend as inspector of the aforementioned district, without him being able to take refuge next to [the temple of a god], or an altar of the king, or a place of oath or a place of asylum. If you summon him and I do not bring him to you  at the place [where] you tell me [to bring him,  and within] the 5 days of your summons, during all the time that you will spend as inspector of the aforementioned district named above in the said nome, I will comply with any condition [that you impose  on me] promptly, the day following the 5 days above, compulsorily and without delay. Any thing, any property that belongs to me or that I will be able to acquire 10  [will constitute the guarantee of the] right established by the above deed, until I have acted in accordance with your commands. I will not have the right to say, "I have acted toward you in accordance with all that is written above in the above deed which  is in your hands."  It is your representative [who will have the authority to enforce] any condition that he will impose on me by virtue of all that is written above, and I will comply with his order, compulsorily and without delay.  Written by Marres, son of Neitheus.


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