Papyri.info

sign in



open in editor
Canonical URI: http://papyri.info/apis/michigan.apis.4211

Catalog Record: michigan.apis.4211 [xml]

Title Organizing the Tax Collection
Author Unknown
Summary The sender gives instructions about the transport of wheat from several villages to the granary of Madinat al-Fayyum. Most of the letter is dedicated to the villagers appointed to supervise the collection and transportation of the wheat. The sender writes that they will receive a share of the wheat as a payment for providing transport animals and for handling the wheat, but emphasizes that they should not be allowed to take anything more than that. The recipient of the letter should have receipts written for those handing in their taxes. The sender stresses that only the strongest and best men of the villages should be appointed over this work. Those standing guarantee for the collection too should be chosen from among the solvent villagers and the names of both the qabb��l, receivers, and of the guarantors should be written down and sent to the sender.53 Finally, the sender mentions that if anyone sells his wheat in town after this letter for a higher price than has been determined in the letter, the addressee should accept no money value instead of the demanded wheat.;The following documents are addressed to the same recipient: P.Mich.Inv. 5558(1); 5629; 5624; 5627; 5578(1); 5558(2); 5578(2); 5578(3); 5578(4); 5578(5); 5578(7); 5578(6); 5610; 5613(B); 5625 (A); 5620; 5619; 5613(A); 5578(9); 5622; 5609; 5621; 5623; 5625(1); 2526(B); 5631; 5578(8).
Citations Sijpesteijn, Petra Marieke, Shaping a Muslim State. Papyri related to a mid-eighth-century Egyptian official, Ph.D. Diss., Princeton University, 241-248, 2004, Plate XXII
Inv. Id P.Mich.inv. 5632
Support/Dimensions 1 papyrus ; 24.4 x 40.3 cm
Condition Light brown papyrus. The original cutting lines have been preserved on the left, right and bottom sides. The text consists of one small fragment belonging to the upper right corner containing four words and one large fragment with a large part of the first eight lines and a smaller part of the next four lines broken off on the left side. There are many small holes in the papyrus due to wear.
Recto/Verso Source of description: Recto
Hands Written in black ink perpendicular to the fibers on Recto. There are some diacritical dots. F���� is written with a dot under the letter (line 9 fa-w. .). Shin has three dots over it (line 13 ìash��riya). ;
Origin Fayuum
More from Fayuum
Language Arabic
Date VIIIth Cent. A.D.
More from the period between 700 CE and 799 CE
Note (general) Given by LK on 9/17/80;oversize box. oversize box. Edition's Side A is Recto; Side B Verso according to APIS guidelines.
Note (general) Location: Ann Arbor
Note (general) Pub. status: Recto; Verso is blank
Subjects Documentary; Papyrus
Images Recto medium
Images Recto large
License Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 License.

APIS Translation (English)

1. and . . . [ . . . ;2. and he . . . [ . . . ;3. from it [ . . . ;4. and it united [ . . . ;5. . . .] and already [ . . . ;6. its being corrupt and not does it follow [ . . . ;7. the people of the villages in [ . . . ;8. by this [ . . . ;9. in . . . [ . . . ] of [ . . . ] and there are [ . . . ;10. for the scribe of the village [ . . . ] to carrying that [ . . . ;11. on him and bring it to them on the draft animals of your domain which you are used to use [ . . . ;12. the draft animals. Then give for every animal bringing it something of [ . . ;13. an ìash��ra wayba for each irdabb. (vac.) ;14. And if you have terminated this installment of yours, enter what they have of wheat ;15. or anything else of their crops and write them quittances for it. ;16. And delegate the receiving of it to the best people of the villages and the strongest of them. Let him (them?) not (take);17. in coin more than it. And let him receive for each irdabb that he enters ;18. seven waybas of the large wayba and that is an additional wayba for ;19. every irdabb and for its rent and its missing until you will have an abundance in ;20. the granary of the city, God willing. And to the receivers (collectors) there should not be anything more ;21. from that than what I wrote you. Then give to me the names of the two collectors ;22. of sale (?) and the names of their guarantors. And use for them only wealthy guarantors. ;23. And if you find someone taking this, by God then send that to ;24. your . . . where the granary is located, God willing. And guard their crops and appoint ;25. over the transport someone who will watch it for you. And as for the jizya, God willing, it is (taken) only from ;26. the crops and there is no jizya for them except from that. And do not (accept?) money if ;27. after my letter the inhabitants from the villages of your district (go to?) the city, ;28. selling part of their crops for more, surpassing me in money beyond what I set down for them. ;29. And pay me all you owe and be trustworthy and take care of it personally. And ask for help ;30. from God for he keeps us with the salvation which we hope for. And peace be ;31. upon you and God���s mercy. ;32. In the name of God the Compassionate, the Merciful. ;33. wheat five irdabb for one din��r and barley sixteen irdabb for one din��r ;34. and radish six irdabb for one din��r and clover one fadd��n for one din��r or thirty nets(?) ;35. and unspun flax one qint��r for one din��r and drenched flax four qint��r for one din��r ;36. and raw (?) flax six nets (?) for one din��r and beans one qint��r for one din��r and two thirds ;37. and shaken/spun flax hundred uqiya for one din��r and sesame four irdabb for one din��r ;38. and raisins six irdabb and wine fifty q��dus for one din��r ;39. and clover crop six irdabb for one din��r and spun flax hundred uqiya for one din��r