DONATIO MORTIS CAUSA
   
Copy of a donation in contemplation of death
     
( December 30, AD 47 or December 29, AD 61 )
 

 
P. Mich. XVIII, 785 b (
Duke Data Bank of Documentary Papyri ).
  

 
[Πεταῦτι καὶ Θαήσει καὶ Ταμύσθᾳ τοῖς τρισὶ γεγονόσι αὐτῶι] ἐξ ἦς συνέστι κατὰ νόμους γυναικ[ὸς]
[Ταπετσίρεως τῆς Πνεφερῶτος καὶ αὐτῷ Ταπετσίρει, τῶι μὲν ἀρρένωι] υ?ἱῶι Πεταῦτι τὸν ὑπάρχοντα αὐ-|[τῶι τῶι ὁμολογοῦντι Τιθουεῖ ἐν κώμῃ Καρανίδι τῆς Ἡρακλ(είδου) μερ(ίδος) πα]τρικὸν κλῆρον κατοι<κι>κὸν ἀρούρης | [μιᾶς ἡμίσους ἀπὸ ἀρο(υρῶν) τριῶν καὶ ἀδιαιρέτων πρὸς τὸν τοῦ] ὁμολογοῦντος ἀδελφὸν Τιθουῆν | [ἐν μιᾷ σφραγῖδι χωρὶς ἐπιβολῆς κώμης ἢ ἄλλου ἁπλῶς εἴδους, τῶι δ᾽] αὐτῶι υἱῶι Π[ετ]αῦτι καὶ τὸ? [ὑ]πάρχον | [αὐτῶι τῶι ὁμολογοῦντι Τιθουεῖ ἥμισυ μέρος κοινὸν καὶ ἀδι]α?ίρετον πα[τ]ρικῆς οἰκ[ί]ας καὶ τὸ | [ὑπάρχον τῶι αὐτῶι ὁμολογοῦντι ἐν Καρανίδι μητρικῶν ἥμισυ] μέρος ψιλῶν τόπων κοινῶν | [καὶ ἀδιαιρέτων πρὸς τὸν τοῦ ὁμολογοῦντος ἀδελφὸν Τιθουῆν, τῶι δ᾽] αὐτῶι υἱῶι Πεταῦτι καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν | [ὑπαρχόντων αὐτῶι τῶι ὁμολογοῦντι Τιθουεῖ κτηνῶν ὄνον θήλε]ιαν καὶ τὴν ἐπακολουθοῦσαν πῶλον | [θήλειαν, τῶι δ᾽ αὐτῶι υἱῶι Πεταῦτι καὶ ταῖς θυγατράσι Θαήσει καὶ Τ]αμύσθᾳ κοινῶς ἐξ ἴσου ἑκάστωι κατὰ | [τὸ τρίτον μέρος τὰ ὑπάρχοντα αὐτῶι τῶι ὁμολογοῦντι ἀγε]λικὰ πρόβατα σύμμικτα ἀριθμῷ | [Ϝαξ. καὶ τοὺς ἐπακολουθοῦντας ἄρνας κ]αὶ <ἐ>ρίφους: τῇ δὲ προγεγραμμένῃ τοῦ ὁμο-|[λογοῦντος γυναικὶ ἔχειν τὴν τῆς προγεγραμμένης οἰκίας] ἐ?νο?ί?κ?η(σιν) καὶ <ἃ> ἐὰν καταλείπῃ σκευάρια καὶ | [ἐπίπλοα καὶ ἐνοφειλόμενα αὐτῶι καθ᾽ ὃν δήποτε οὖν τρόπο]ν? ἐξέσται, ἡ αὐτὴ Ταπετσῖρις τῆς τε | [Ϝαξ. ἐκ τοῦ ἐνεστῶτος ὀγδ]όου ἔτους: ἀντὶ τῶν ἐξακ<ο>λουθούντω(ν) | [περιγενομένων ἡ γυνὴ Ταπετσῖρις ποιήσεται τὴν διόρθωσιν ὧ]ν ὀφείλει ὁ ὁμολογῶν ὀφειλη- [μάτων παντοίων Ϝαξ. τὴν τούτων καρπείαν. τὰ] γενήματα καὶ πρόσφορα τῶν μεμε-|[ρισμένων τοῖς τέκνοις Ϝαξ.].. Πεταῦος ἃ καὶ παραδώσει ἡ Ταπετσῖρι[ς]

 
English translation ( Advanced Papyrological Information System ).
  

 
[Year eight of . . . Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus Imperator, the 3rd of the month Dystros, Tybi 3, in Ptolemais Euergetis of the Arsinoite nome. Tithoues the elder, son of Petaus, about forty-three(?) years old, with a scar on his right shin, acknowledges to have divided after his death to his own children, Petaus, Thaesis and Tamystha, all three born to him] of his wife [Tapetsiris, daughter of Pnepheros], with whom he lives togetheraccording to the laws, [and to Tapetsiris herself : to his male] son Petaus, the paternal catoecic allotment of [one and a half] aroura [out of three arourai which the acknowledging party owns jointly and undivided with] his brother, Tithoues, [in one parcel without a village impost or of other kind], which belongs to him, [the acknowledging party, Tithoues, in the village of Karanis(?) of the Herakleides division ; and to the] same son Petaus also the [half share] of his paternal house which belongs [to him, the acknowledging party, jointly and] undivided and the half share [which belongs to the same acknowledging party, in Karanis, of maternal] building plots, which the acknowledging party owns jointly [and undivided with his brother, Tithoues ; and to] the same son Petaus also of the [animals that belong to the acknowledging party, Tithoues, a] female [donkey] and the accompanying [female] foal ; [and to the same son Petaus and to his daughters Thaesis and] Tamystha in common and equally, to each [a third part], the miscellaneous sheep of the flock with a total number [of - - - and the accompanying lambs] and kids [which belong to him, the acknowledging party] ; the aforementioned [wife] of the acknowledging party (Tapetsiris) [will be entitled to have the] right of occupation [of the aforementioned house] and whatever he will leave in the way of utensils and [furniture and sums due to him in any way whatsoever] ; the same Tapetsiris [- - - from the present] eighth(?) year. In exchange for the resulting [revenues, his wife Tapetsiris will settle all kinds] of debt which the acknowedging party has [in whatever way, having(?) the usufruct of them]. The products and the revenues of the goods divided [to the children will go to Tapetsiris after having been collected by(?)] Petaus, which goods Tapetsiris will hand over [after a period of five years - - -]
 

 
►  Bibliography
 
 
Anagnostou-Canas, XIVth Symposium of the Society for Greek and Hellenistic Legal History (Rauischholzhausen, 2003), Wien, 2006, pp. 323-340 ;
P. Mich. XVIII, 785 b (1996).
 
 
►  Source : Arsinoite papyrus ( Ptolemais Euergetis ), published in 1996.