| Artefact ID | 1578 |
| TM ID | TM 33138 |
| Findspot (DEChriM ID) | 4 (ʿAyn al-Ṭurba) | Class | Textual |
| Material | Papyrus |
| Writing medium | Sheet/roll |
| Text content | Documentary |
| Language | Greek |
| Description | P. Giss. 1 103: Letter to the deacon Stephanos The present sheet (26 x 8 cm) is a letter on 37 lines, probably from an Apollonios (the text carries Ἀπ̣[ολλώνι]ος) who is expecting the arrival of the addressee, the δι[άκονος] Stephanos, in the oasis (scil. the Great Osis). He asks him to bring linen and πορφύρα (purple). Mention of Xierax, Theodoros, Sineus and Tachoumis, as well as a παστοφόρος (line 12) – a term interpreted as related to the pagan clergy (Naldini 1968: 201). The address is written vertically along the left border, including an Origenes not found in the letter. Although the reading δι[άκονος] has been called into question (Judge, Pickering 1977: 56, n. 45; Martin 1996: 649, n. 44), the Christian character of the letter is secured by the salutation on lines 24-27 (ἐρρῶσθαί σε ἐν κ(υρί)ῳ εὔχο̣μαι τέκνον ἀγαπητὲ πολλοῖς χρόνοις). The context supposes that both the sender and the addressee are involved in textile manufacturing. While the latter is likely a deacon, the tone of the letter might suggest that the former is also a member of the clergy, probably a priest (Naldini 1968: 198). |
| Selection criteria | Mention of Christian cult officials/institutions, Christian terms/formulas/concepts, Christian onomastics |
| Date from | 309 |
| Date to | 399 |
| Dating criteria | The document on the recto of the letter is dated to the year 309 CE. |
| Absolute/relative date | Relative date |
| Archaeological context | Unknown provenance; ~150 papyri bought for Giessen in Egypt between the years 1902–1913, motivated by ancient historian Ernst Kornemann and financed by local industrialist Wilhelm Gail. The Giessen online catalogue places the purchase in al-Ašmūnayn in 1902. |
| Accession number | Giessen, Universitätsbibliothek P. Giss. 126 Vo |
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