DIVORTIUM
   
Deed of separation between husband and wife
     
( February 20, AD 44 )
 
 
BGU III, 975 ( Duke Data Bank of Documentary Papyri ).
  
 
Μεχ<ὶ>ρ κε | ἔτους τετάρτου Τιβερίου Κλαυδίου | Καίσαρος Σεβαστοῦ Γερμανικοῦ | Αὐτοκράτορος μηνὸς   Μεχὶρ   πέμπτῃ   |   καὶ   εἰκάδι   ἐν   τῇ   Σοκνοπαίου   Νή-|σῳ   τῆς   Ἡρακλίδου μερίδος τοῦ Ἀρσ[ι]-|νοείτου νομοῦ. ὁμολογεῖ Πα[ο]ῦς | Παοῦτος ὡς ἐτῶν εἴκοσι πέντε [οὐλ]ὴ | μετώπῳ ἀριστερῷ <τῇ> γεγενημένῃ αὐτοῦ | γυναικὶ Τεσενούφει τῆς Ὀννώφρεως ὡς | ἐτῶν εἴκοσι οὐλὴ γαστροκνημίῳ<ἐ>-|ξ   ἀριστερῶ(ν)   μετὰ   κυρίου τοῦ ἑ[α]υτῆς | συγγενοῦς Σαταβοῦτος τοῦ Ἑρ[ι]έως ὡ[ς] | ἐτῶν [τ]ριάκοντα οὐλὴ γαστροκνη-|μίῳ ἐκ δεξιῶ(ν) συνῆρθαι τὴν πρὸς | ἀλλήλους συμβίωσιν,    ἥτ[ι]ς    αὐτοῖς    |    συνέστηκε    κατὰ    συνγραφὴ(ν)  γά-|μου,  καὶ  μηδὲν ἀλλήλο[ι]ς ἐνκ[α]-|λεῖν   μήδ᾽   ἐνκαλέσειν   περὶ   μη[δε]-|νὸς   ἁπ[λῶς   πράγ]μ̣α̣τ̣ο̣ς̣   [...]..[.].ς κ̣[αὶ ἀ]-|πέχει ἡ Τεσεν[ο]ῦφις ἣν ὀφείλει [αὐτῇ] | ὁ Πα[οῦς] φερνὴ[ν ἀ]ργυρίου καὶ τὰ̣ [παρά]-|φερν[α - ca. 9 - ] τῇ Τεσεν[ούφει] | [...]ε̣ρ̣ν̣[.......] ̣ε̣τερ̣α̣ν̣ .[.....] | Traces 2 lines
 
English translation ( G. Milligan, Cambridge, 1910 ).
  
 
     Mechir 25.
     The fourth year of Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus Emperor, the twenty-fifth day of the month Mechir, in Socnopaei Nesus of the Heraclides district of the Arsinoite nome. Agreement of Paous son of Paous, about twenty-five years old, a scar on the left forehead, with is wife Tesenouphis the daughter of Onnophris, about twenty years old, a scar on the calf of the leg on the left side, along with her guardian and kinsman Satabous, the son of Erieus, about thirty years old, a scar on the calf of the leg on the right side,—to the effect that there is dissolved the mutual union which had brought them together in accordance with the contract of marriage, and that they neither make nor will make any claim against one another regarding any matter whatsoever... and Tesenouphis acknowledges receipt of the dowry of silver owed by Paous, and the parapherna...
 

 
►  Bibliography
 
 
Schubart, BGU III, 975 (1903) ; Lesquier, Revue de Philologie, 1906, pp. 25 ss. ; Milligan, Selections from the Greek papyri, Cambridge, 1910, pp. 41-43, n. 16 ; Cadbury, Journal of Biblical Literature, 82, 1963, pp. 272-278 ; Pestman & Rupprecht, Berichtigungsliste der griechischen Papyrusurkunden aus Aegypten, IX, Leiden, 1995, p. 24 / XI, p. 23 ; Ziegler, ZPE, 114, 1996, p. 160 ; Urbanik, Fides Humanitas Ius : Studii in onore di Luigi Labruna, Napoli, 2007, p. 5713.
 
 
►  Source : Papyrus from Soknopaiu Nesos, published in 1903.