| Artefact ID | 1208 |
| TM ID | TM 35475 |
| Findspot (DEChriM ID) | 28 (al-Bahnasā) | Class | Textual |
| Material | Papyrus |
| Writing medium | Sheet/roll |
| Text content | Documentary |
| Language | Greek |
| Description | P.Oxy. LXVI 3864: Letter to Father Dorotheos. After greetings in "Lord God" and wishes of good health in "all-merciful God", Apammon informs Dorotheos about business matters: his journey to Chaereu (where he is probably sending the letter from), the expenses he made to get there on the river (1500 myriads of denarii), the fact that he could not catch Alphios, nor Makarios, and about the disposal of sacks that he was relieved to be able to deliver (or sell) since business was bad in Alexandria and other people have had to send theirs sacks to Caesarea. He warns then Dorotheos not to accept letters of credit, plans a quick journey back to Oxyrhynchos and informs him that he will send one gold solidus. The text is full of pious expressions but grammar and spelling are bad and prevent understanding all details. At the top of the letter, in the middle of the first line was written the Christian cryptogram ΧΜΓ. The hand-writing is an unskilled upright semi-literary hand, using two short oblique strokes as punctuation, although their placing seems random. The text is written along the fibres (except for one line, downwards in the left margin) and continues on the back of the letter, also along the fibres. The address was written there, after a vacat. The document shares almost all these features with P.Haun. II 25. |
| Selection criteria | Mention of Christian cult officials/institutions, Mention of Christian individuals/communities, Christian terms/formulas/concepts, Christian symbols/gestures/isopsephy |
| Date from | 400 |
| Date to | 499 |
| Dating criteria | Dated 5th c. in ed. pr., which should allow a new date for P.Haun. II 54 (dated 4th or possibly 5th c.). |
| Absolute/relative date | Relative date |
| Archaeological context | Probably found in the same rubbish dump as P.Haun. II 54 during in Grenfell and Hunt's third excavation season in al-Bahnasā, see Gonis 2000: 184 = BL XII 152. |
| Accession number | Oxford, Sackler Library, Papyrology Rooms P. Oxy. 3864 |
ARTEFACT IDENTIFIERS
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