Papyri.info

Introduction

This is the recto side of P.Bagnall 5v, a copy of the Greek text of a Roman will. It is a list, in Latin, of cavalry soldiers assigned to the local watch ('ad tutelam loci'); it was first described by G. Bastianini in the introduction to P.Bagnall 5. The document is formatted so that the name of each soldier precedes, on a separate line, the name of the cavalry unit (turma) to which he belonged. The papyrus breaks off in line 6, just after the unit of the second soldier is given.

Since publication of P.Bagnall 5, Bastianini and R. Ast have made some progress towards deciphering previously unread parts of the document. These new readings suggest that the soldiers performed the watch on a rotating basis, perhaps in daily intervals.

Notes

• 1.

  quater: if anything was written directly after 'r', it is no longer visible because of a hole in the papyrus. We suggest reading either 'quater', 'four times', or 'quater(ni)', 'in groups of four'. Loss of the bottom part of the papyrus prevents us from telling if the soldiers were listed in groups of four.

• 2.

  After a small vacat following 'hodie', there are four or five letters followed by a second vacat, and then traces of three additional letters.

• 3.

  In the margin, to the left of the soldier's name, are some rapidly scrawled letters that appear to have been inserted later; it is unclear if they were written by someone else or by the same person, albeit in a more rapid style.

• 4.

  Turma of Victor or Victorinus: the right side of 'r' at the end of 'Victor' has been drawn out in exaggerated fashion as an extended line. It is unclear if this was for decorative purpose or to signal an abbreviation.

• 5.

  For reasons of space, Apion is better than [An]upion. While 'on' is clear even in the photo, 'Api' is best seen on the original, which Bastianini has consulted. Similar to the 'r' in 'Victor', the base of the final 'n' has been extended in a horizontal line.