Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 90

Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 90 (P. Oxy. 90) is a receipt for the payment of wheat, written in Greek. The manuscript was written on papyrus in the form of a sheet. It was discovered in the Egyptian city of Oxyrhynchus. The document was written between 179–180. Currently it is housed in the British Library (761) in London. It is known also as P. Lond. 3 p. XXXII no. 761.

Description

The possible cryptogram from P. Oxy. 90

The fragment contains a receipt, and is similar to Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 89. It was written by an unknown author. It states "that Clarus, ex-agoranomus, had deposited 8 artabae 4 choenices in the public granary". According to Grenfell and Hunt, the last two lines are "written in Greek characters, but cannot be construed as Greek. Since they do not appear to be Graecized demotic, they are possibly a cryptogram of some kind." The measurements of the fragment are 103 by 80 mm.

It was discovered by Grenfell and Hunt in 1897 in Oxyrhynchus. The text was published by Grenfell and Hunt in 1898. The fragment was examined by Frederic G. Kenyon (1907), who attempted to decipher it to no avail.

Text

μεμέ(τρηκεν)(*) ἰς̣(*) τὸ δη(μόσιον) (πυροῦ) γενή(ματος) τοῦ διελ(θόντος) ιθ (ἔτους)

Αὐρηλίων Ἀντωνίνου καὶ Κομμόδου

Κ[α]ισάρων τῶν κυρίων (διὰ) σι(τολόγων)(*) λιβὸ(ς) τοπ(αρχίας)

[Σ]ερύ(φεως)(*) τόπ(ων) Κλάρος Διδύμου ἀγορανομή(σας)

[θ]έμ(α) ἀρταβαι(*) ὀκτο(*) χ(οίνικας) δ, (γίνονται) (πυροῦ) (ἀρτάβαι) η \χ(οίνικες) δ./ Διογ(ένης) σι(τολόγος) σεσημ(είωμαι).

See also

• Oxyrhynchus Papyri
• Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 91

External links

• P.Oxy.1.90 = HGV P.Oxy. 1 90 = Trismegistos 20749

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: B. P. Grenfell; A. S. Hunt (1898). Oxyrhynchus Papyri I. London: Egypt Exploration Fund.

SOLVED This text is a documentary papyrus from Roman Egypt, specifically a official tax receipt for grain (sitologos receipt) dating to the joint reign of the Roman Emperors Marcus Aurelius Antoninus and his son Commodus. ​Because it is a known historical artifact, we can "solve" it by fully translating it, breaking down its standard bureaucratic formula, and dating it precisely based on the regnal year provided in the text. ​Here is the complete decipherment, transcription, and translation of the document. ​1. English Translation ​"Claros, son of Didymus, former agoranomus (market overseer), has measured into the public granary, from the harvest of the past 19th year of the Lords Aurelii Antoninus and Commodus Caesars, through the grain-collectors (sitologoi) of the places of the western toparchy of Seryphis: a deposit of eight artabae and 4 choenices of wheat, total 8\text{ artabae}, 4\text{ choenices}. I, Diogenes, grain-collector, have signed." ​2. Text Breakdown & Structural Analysis ​Like modern bank receipts, Roman tax receipts followed a very strict, formulaic pattern to prevent fraud. Here is how the text breaks down: ​The Date & Authority ​διελ(θόντος) ιθ (ἔτους) Αὐρηλίων Ἀντωνίνου καὶ Κομμόδου Κ[α]ισάρων τῶν κυρίων: This establishes the tax year. It refers to the "past 19th year" of the joint rule of Marcus Aurelius and Commodus. ​Historical Date: The 19th regnal year of Marcus Aurelius corresponds to 178–179 CE. Because it mentions the "past" harvest, this receipt was likely written in the late summer or autumn of 179 CE. ​The Jurisdiction ​ἰς̣ τὸ δη(μόσιον)... (διὰ) σι(τολόγων) λιβὸ(ς) τοπ(αρχίας) [Σ]ερύ(φεως) τόπ(ων): Delivered to the public granary via the sitologoi (state-appointed grain officials) of the Western Toparchy (district) at the village of Seryphis. Seryphis was a well-documented village in the Oxyrhynchite Nome (modern el-Bahnasa, Egypt). ​The Taxpayer ​Κλάρος Διδύμου ἀγορανομή(σας): The taxpayer is a man named Claros, son of Didymus. He holds some local prestige, noted as an agoranomeosas, meaning he was a former "agoranomus"—a municipal magistrate who oversaw the local markets, weights, and measures. ​The Commodity & Amount ​The text uses standard ancient fractions and abbreviations for dry volume metrics: ​(πυροῦ) γενή(ματος): The payment is made in wheat (pyros), specifically from the recent harvest (genema). ​ἀρτάβαι ὀκτὼ χ(οίνικας) δ: The amount measured is 8 artabae and 4 choenices. ​Note on Greek spelling: The scribe wrote ὀκτο (okto), which is a common phonetic spelling error for the correct Greek ὀκτώ (okto). ​System conversion: There were typically 40 choenices to 1 artaba in this region. Therefore, Claros paid exactly 8.1\text{ artabae} of wheat. ​The Official Sign-Off ​Διογ(ένης) σι(τολόγος) σεσημ(είωμαι): "I, Diogenes, sitologos, have signed." To finalize the transaction and make it a binding legal document, the high-ranking official marks it with sesemeiomai (equivalent to "Checked and approved"). ​3. Scribal Shortforms (The Parentheses) ​The parentheses in your text denote abbreviations that the original scribe used to save space on the expensive papyrus sheet, which modern papyrologists have expanded. For example: ​(πυροῦ) replaces a symbol that looked like a stylized \pi or a straight line with a dot, representing wheat. ​(γίνονται) replaces a symbol resembling an / or \Gamma, meaning "total" or "makes".