Law and Legal Practice in Egypt from Alexander to the Arab Conquest: A Selection of Papyrological Sources in Translation, with Introductions and Commentary

629 Pages·2014·5.18 MB·English

by  James G. Keenan

LAW AND LEGAL PRACTICE IN EGYPT FROM
ALEXANDER TO THE ARAB CONQUEST
The study of ancient law has blossomed in recent years. In English
alone there have been dozens of studies devoted to classical Greek
andRomanlaw,totheRomanlegalcodes,andtothelegaltraditions
oftheancientNearEastamongmanyothertopics.Legaldocuments
writtenonpapyrusbegantobepublishedinsomeabundancebythe
end of the nineteenth century; but even after a substantial publica-
tionhistorydowntothepresenttime,legalpapyrihavenotreceived
dueattentionfromlegalhistorians.Thisbookblendsthetwousually
distinctjuristicscholarlytraditions,classicalandEgyptological,intoa
coherent presentation of the legal documents from Egypt from the
PtolemaictothelateByzantineperiods,alltranslatedandaccompan-
iedbyexpertcommentary.Thevolumewillserveasanintroduction
totherichlegalsourcesfromEgypt inthelaterphasesofitsancient
history as well as a tool to compare legal documents from other
cultures.
james g. keenan is Professor of Classical Studies at Loyola
University Chicago.
j. g. manning isTheSimpsonProfessorofClassicsandHistoryat
Yale University.
uri yiftach-firanko is Senior Lecturer in the Department of
Classics inthe Hebrew University ofJerusalem.

LAW AND LEGAL PRACTICE
IN EGYPT FROM ALEXANDER
TO THE ARAB CONQUEST
A Selection of Papyrological Sources in Translation,
with Introductions and Commentary
edited by
JAMES G. KEENAN
J. G. MANNING
URI YIFTACH-FIRANKO
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Firstpublished2014
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AcataloguerecordforthispublicationisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary
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LawandlegalpracticeinEgyptfromAlexandertotheArabconquest:aselectionofpapyrological
sourcesintranslation,withintroductionsandcommentary/[editedby]JamesG.Keenan,
J.G.Manning,UriYiftach-Firanko.
pages cm
isbn978-0-521-87452-6(Hardback)
1. Egyptianlaw–Sources. 2. Law,Greek–Sources. 3. Romanlaw–Sources.
4. Egypt–History–Greco-Romanperiod,332b.c.–640a.d.–Sources. I.Keenan,
JamesG.,editor.II.Manning,JosephGilbert,editor.III.Yiftach-Firanko,Uri,editor.
kl2814.5.l392014
340.5032–dc23
2013045001
isbn978-0-521-87452-6Hardback
CambridgeUniversityPresshasnoresponsibilityforthepersistenceoraccuracy
ofURLsforexternalorthird-partyinternetwebsitesreferredtointhispublication,
anddoesnotguaranteethatanycontentonsuchwebsitesis,orwillremain,
accurateorappropriate.
Contents
List of figures page xvi
List of contributors xvii
Preface xxi
Calendars xxv
List of abbreviations xxvi
Map 1 Egypt, showing key sites of papyrus finds xxviii
Map 2 The Fayyum (Arsinoite nome) xxix
1 Introduction and historical framework 1
Introduction(Manning) 1
1.1 ThePtolemaicperiod(332–30bc)(Manning) 5
1.2 TheRomanperiod(30bc–ad 284)(Yiftach-Firanko) 6
1.3 TheByzantineperiod(ad 284–640)(Keenan) 9
1.4 Monumentsinjuristicpapyrology(Keenan,Manning,
andYiftach-Firanko) 12
1.5 LawunderthePtolemies(Manning) 17
1.6 LawintheRomanperiod(Yiftach-Firanko) 20
1.7 LawintheByzantineperiod(Keenan) 23
1.8 ThelawofCopticlegaldocuments(Richter) 28
2 The historical development of the form, content,
and administration of legal documents 31
Introduction 31
2.1 EvolutionofformsofGreekdocumentsofthePtolemaic,Roman,
andByzantineperiods(Yiftach-Firanko) 35
2.1.1 EarlyPtolemaicdoubledocument(loanofmoney)
P.Cair.Zen.i 59001 35
2.1.2 LaterPtolemaicdoubledocument(loanofwheat)P.Dion.14 39
2.1.3 Recordsofficedocument(loanofmoney)P.Tebt.ii 312 41
2.1.4 Third-centurybc cheirographon(paymentforreedpropping)
P.Col.iv 76 43
2.1.5 Second-centurybc cheirographon(settlementofadebt)P.Adl.4 43
vii
viii Contents
2.1.6 Oxyrhynchoscheirographon(repaymentofmoneyloan)
P.Oxy.xlix 3487 44
2.1.7 The“newcheirographon”:earlierformat(moneyloan)P.Sakaon64 46
2.1.8 The“newcheirographon”:laterformat(saleinadvanceofdelivery)
P.Ant.i 42 47
2.1.9. “Privateprotocol”(landlease)P.Oxy.ii 277 50
2.1.10 Hypomnêma(vineyardlease)P.Ryl.iv 600 51
2.1.11 Hypomnêma(leaseoflandwithdatepalms)P.Corn.10 52
2.2 Demoticsales(Manning) 53
2.3 Demoticcessions(Depauw) 56
2.4 Demoticloans(†Markiewicz) 58
2.5 Greekloans(Vandorpe) 61
2.6 ArchivesandregistrationinRomanEgypt(Kruse) 62
2.6.1 TwoedictsoftheprefectT.FlaviusTitianusP.Oxy.i 34verso 66
2.6.2 EdictoftheprefectM.MettiusRufusP.Oxy.ii 237Col.viii,
lines27–43 69
2.6.3 AbstractsheetofthepropertyrecordsofficeBGUiii 959 71
2.6.4 ExtractfromtheGnomonoftheIdiosLogosBGUv 1210§100 72
2.6.5 ApplicationforregistrationofadeedP.Oxy.xii 1475 73
2.6.6 PetitiontotheprefectM.IuniusRufusP.Fam.Tebt.15,
lines75–98 76
2.6.7 DepositionofdocumentsP.Flor.iii 357 79
2.6.8 Depositionoftherecordsofadministrativeofficials 81
2.6.8a BeginningofalaborcontractBGUiii 981Col.i,lines1–11 82
2.6.8b ListofjournalsfollowedbyendorsementsP.Lips.i 123 82
2.7 Byzantinesales:someaspectsofthedevelopmentoflegalinstruments
inthelaterRomanandByzantineperiod(Richter) 83
2.7.1 Greek–CopticspecimenformsofsalesondeliveryCPRiv 34,
lines1–41 92
2.7.1a SaleondeliveryofreedsCPRiv 34,lines1–14 93
2.7.1b SaleondeliveryofKouphon-vesselsCPRiv 34,lines15–41 94
3 The languages of law 96
Introduction 96
3.1 Ethnicdiversityinawealthyhousehold(Vandorpe) 101
3.1.1 GreekloanbyApolloniaP.Dryton19 103
3.1.2 GreekwillbyDrytonP.Dryton3 105
3.1.3 GreekpetitionfromDryton’sdaughtersP.Dryton34 107
3.1.4 DemoticdivorceagreementforDryton’sgranddaughterP.Dryton8 109
3.2 GreekandDemoticintheRomanFayyum(Muhs) 110
3.2.1 DemotichousesaleandcessionwithGreekregistration
P.Brit.Mus.262þM.Chr.181 111
3.2.2 Greeksaleofapriest’sdwellingwithDemoticsubscription
P.Ryl.ii 161 115
3.2.3 GreeksubscriptiontoaDemoticcontractofsaleP.Mich.v 301 117
Contents ix
3.3 RomanlawinEgyptiandocuments(Keenan) 118
3.3.1 Romanwill(testamentumperaesetlibram)BGUi 326 121
3.3.2 MilitarydiplomaCILxvi 122 126
3.3.3 FormalopeningofRomanwills 128
3.3.3a RequesttoopenawillM.Chr.309 129
3.3.3b ReportofproceedingsP.Oxy.liv 3758,lines134–55 129
3.3.3c OpeningofawillP.Coll.Youtiei 64,lines18–20 130
3.3.3d OpeningofawillP.Oxy.xxii 2348,lines50–56 130
3.3.4 Cretiones(formalacceptancesofinheritances) 130
3.3.4a CretioFIRAiii 59 131
3.3.4b CretioFIRAiii 60 132
3.3.5 BilingualrequestforaguardianP.Oxy.xii 1466 133
3.4 GreekandCopticintheByzantineera(Richter) 134
3.4.1 ThesociolinguisticsofGreekandCopticinByzantineEgypt 134
3.4.2 Greek–Copticinterferencesfromalinguisticpointofview 136
3.4.3 Greek–CopticinterferencesinByzantineandearlyIslamic
documentaryevidence 138
3.4.4 Greek–Copticinterferencesinthelegaldocuments 140
4 The family 145
Introduction 145
4.1 Marriage(Manning) 149
4.1.1 PtolemaicDemoticmarriagecontractP.Louvre2433 150
4.1.2 GreekmarriagecontractBGUiv 1052 151
4.1.3 ByzantinemarriagecontractP.Cair.Masp.iii 67310þ
P.Lond.v 1711 152
4.2 Divorce(Urbanik) 154
4.2.1 RepaymentofpartofadowryP.Lond.ii 178 163
4.2.2 DivorcesettlementP.Stras.iii 142 165
4.2.3 DivorcesettlementP.Cair.Masp.ii 67153 166
4.2.4 PetitionforunilateraldivorceP.Cair.Preis.2–3 171
4.2.5 PetitiontothestratêgosP.Lond.v 1651 172
4.2.6 CourtroomspeechonbehalfofanabandonedorphanP.Lips.i 41 173
4.3 TheRomanizationoffamilylaw(Arjava) 175
4.3.1 SaleoflandbysiblingsP.Vind.Bosw.6 182
4.3.2 RequestforaguardianP.Oxy.xxxiv 2710 185
4.3.3 RequestfortheiustriumliberorumP.Oxy.xii 1467 186
4.3.4 Inheritanceonconditionofemancipationfrompaternal
powerCPRvi 78 187
4.3.5 JointsaleoflandbyfatherandsonP.Oxy.ix 1208 188
4.4 Fatherlesspersons(Malouta) 191
4.4.1 RequestforaguardianP.Diog.18 193
4.4.2 CensusreturnwithpropertyofafatherlesswomanBGUi 90etal. 194
4.4.3 RegistrationofachildwithfatherlessparentsP.Petaus2 196
x Contents
4.4.4 ApplicationforthecorndoleinOxyrhynchosP.Oxy.xl 2913
Col.ii 197
4.4.5 AcaseofconcealedfatherlessnessP.Lond.ii 324 198
4.4.6 Censusreturnoftheex-husbandofafatherlesswoman
SBxxiv 15987 200
4.5 Deedsoflastwill:Demotic,Greek,andLatin(Clarysse) 202
4.5.1 DonationofthewomanNeskhonsutohersonP.Brit.Mus.
Andrews1 203
4.5.2 WilloftheofficerDion,includingmanumissionofslaves
P.Petriei23,lines9–38 205
4.5.3 WillofthecavalryofficerDrytonontheoccasionofhismarriage
P.Dryton2 207
4.5.4 Divisionofpropertyamongthechildren(donatiomortiscausa)
P.Mil.Vogl.ii 84 210
4.5.5 DraftofaRomanwill(testamentumperaesetlibram)P.Oxy.
xxxviii 2857 212
4.6 Intestatesuccession(Anagnostou-Cañas) 214
4.6.1 Inheritanceofsoldiers’landallotments 214
4.6.1a Rulesofanordinance(prostagma)BGUiv 1185 214
4.6.1b PetitionregardingsuccessionSBviii 9790 215
4.6.2 Legitimacyandinheritance 216
4.6.2a Aprefect’sdecisionaboutsoldiers’marriagesP.Catt.
rectoCol.iv,lines1–15 216
4.6.2b Imperialconstitutionaboutrightsofsoldiers’children
BGUi 140 217
4.6.3 Minutesofcourttrial:representationinsuccessionBGUi 19,
lines1–19 218
4.6.4 Minutesofcourttrial:limitstofreedomoftestationCPRi 18 220
4.6.5 Applicationforsuccessiontoaninheritance 222
4.6.5a BilingualrequestforbonorumpossessioSBi 1010 223
4.6.5b RequestinGreekforbonorumpossessioSBvi 9298aþb 224
4.6.6 DevolutionofinheritanceswithoutheirsBGUv 1210§4 224
5 Capital 226
Introduction 226
5.1 PtolemaicDemoticloans(†Markiewicz) 228
5.1.1 LoanwithconditionalsaleP.Schreibertrad.14 229
5.1.2 LoanofwheatP.Dryton27 231
5.1.3 PartialrepaymentofamoneyloanP.Chic.Haw.10 233
5.1.4 LitigationoveraloanO.Tempeleide150 234
5.2 PtolemaicGreekloans(Vandorpe) 234
5.2.1 Loansecuredagainstmortgage(hypothêkê)ofahouse
P.Tebt.iii.1817 236
5.2.2 Six-witnessloancontractofwheatP.Dion.16 238
5.2.3 NotarialloancontractofwineP.Amh.ii 48 240
Contents xi
5.2.4 RepaymentofaloanofmoneyP.Dryton21 242
5.3 GreekloansintheRomanperiod(Lerouxel) 242
5.3.1 LoanofwheatandbarleyP.Kron.9 244
5.3.2 LoanofmoneySBxii 10786 245
5.3.3 Cancellationofaloancontract(synchôrêsis)P.Oxy.xxvii 2471 247
5.3.4 PrivateletteraboutredemptionofpawnedclothingP.Oxy.iii 530,
lines1,10–32 248
5.4 Realsecurity(Rupprecht) 249
5.4.1 PersonalpledgeofjewelryassecurityforaloanStud.Pal.xx 2 252
5.4.2 Loansecuredagainstmortgage(hypothêkê)ofahouse
P.Tebt.iii.1817 253
5.4.3 Loanagainstmortgage(hypallagma)P.Ryl.ii 177 254
5.4.4 Mortgageintheformofamenein-contractP.Osloii 40a 256
5.4.5 GreekloanwithaDemoticsaleofproperty 258
5.4.5a GreekloancontractSBxii 10804 258
5.4.5b DemoticsaleandcessionDDDiii 23 259
5.4.6 Procedureforexecutionagainstadebtor’spropertyBGUxiv 2376 259
5.5 Loancontractsservingotherpurposes(Kreuzsaler) 265
5.5.1 LoanwithantichreticleaseP.Mich.iii 188 267
5.5.2 LoanwithparamonêP.Mich.x 587 269
5.5.3 LoanwithparamonêP.Coll.Youtieii 92 271
5.5.4 DepositconcealingadowryBGUiii 729 274
6 Sale 276
Introduction 276
6.1 Demoticsalesandcessions(DepauwandManning) 279
6.1.1 DemoticsaleandcessionofahouseP.Fam.Theb.3þ4 280
6.1.2 DemoticsaleoflandP.Brit.Mus.Andrews28 282
6.2 ThedifferentapplicationsoftheDemoticsaleandcessioncontract
(DepauwandManning) 285
6.2.1 DemoticmortgageintheformofasaleP.Brit.Mus.Glanville10525 287
6.2.2 DemoticsalewithdeferreddeliveryP.Recueil4 289
6.2.3 AnearlyDemoticquitclaimP.Tsenhor15 291
6.2.4 ADemoticquitclaimafterjudgmentP.TeosandThabis12 292
6.2.5 AnunregisteredDemoticquitclaimP.Brit.Mus.262 293
6.3 TheGreeksaleofrealproperty(Jakab) 294
6.3.1 SaleofsharesofahouseP.Oxy.i 99 294
6.3.2 SaleofahouseP.Oxy.iv 719,lines13–29 296
6.3.3 SaleofsharesofahouseP.Mich.x 583 298
6.3.4 SaleofahouseatauctionSBv 7638 300
6.3.5 SaleofagriculturallandP.Ryl.ii 164,lines1–15 302
6.3.6 SaleofavineyardP.Mich.v 274 303
6.4 Salesofmovables(Bagnall) 304
6.4.1 SaleofcowsP.Sarap.10 307
6.4.2 SaleofacowP.Sarap.11 307