274 JOURNAL OF PAPYROLOGY
P A P Y R I F R O M T H E B Y Z A N T I N E P E R I O D
H . G e r s t i n g e r , Eine Grunderwerbsapographe bei der Bibliotheke Enkteseon von Hermupolis Magna aus dem Jahre 319 п. Chr. (S.A. aus dem Anzeiger der phi].-hist'. Klasse der österreichischen A k a d e m i e der W i s s e n s c h a f t e n , J a h r g a n g 1950, № 20, 1951). T h e c o n t e n t s of t h i s p a p y r u s is as follows: S e p t i m i a Aurelia Dionysia h a d acquired in t h e years 312/3 f r o m her since deceased h u s b a n d an e s t a t e b y t h e m e a n s of δισσή ασφάλεια d r a w n u p ύπέρ λόγου άφηλίκων, t h a t is in f a v o u r of her children (cf. on t h e legal position of t h e m o t h e r as f a r as p r o p e r t y relations are concerned m y Lau I, 115). Six years l a t e r t h a t is 319 A . D . Septimia Aurelia Dionysia sold b y καταγραφή (on καταγραφή, see m y Law I 247) 3 a r o u r a e f r o m this e s t a t e t o Aurelios H e r m e s , w h i c h c o n t r a c t was signed b y herself, her έντολικάριος (cf. on r e p r e s e n t a t i o n m y Law I 234, 235) a n d in t h e same t i m e her βεβαιωτής a n d πιστι-κελευστής Aurelios E p i p h a n i o s . This c o n t r a c t of sale was p r e s e n t e d t o t h e βιβλιοθήκη έγκτήσεων t o g e t h e r w i t h t h e απογραφή for άθεσις (cf. m y Law 170-1). T h e βιβλιοφύλακες e x e c u t e d t h e παρ-άθεσις b u t w i t h o u t p r e j u d i c e t o t h e πρωτοπραξία of t h e f i s c (cf. oil πρωτοπραξία m y Law I 10).
T h e p a p v r u s shows t h e βιβλιοθήκη έγκτήσεων still in force in 319 A . D . (see however W о e s s, Urkundenivesen 126), a n d h a s so f a r be t h e only „ c o m p l e t e " απογραφή which c o n t a i n s n o t only t h e υπόμνημα p r o p e r concerning απογραφή b u t all necessary a n n e x e s .
Η . I. B e l l , Tu-o private letters of the Byzantine period (Repr. from Coptic Studies in honor of Walter Living Crum (1950).
T h e f i r s t l e t t e r derives f r o m t h e 5-th c e n t u r y A. D . As В e 11 re-m a r k s t h e writer, en exceptor in the officiure-m t o t h e p r e f e c t , was seriously a n n o y e d w i t h his c o r r e s p o n d e n t , p e r h a p s a beneficiarius for t h e t e r m s of a l e t t e r w r i t t e n t o a n o t h e r official a n d t e a r s unplea-s a n t conunplea-sequenceunplea-s t o himunplea-self a n d otherunplea-s, b u t it iunplea-s n o t pounplea-sunplea-sible t o discover w h e t h e r it was t h e wording of t h e l e t t e r or its. s u b s t a n c e which he r e g a r d e d as its p r o p e r . F o r a j u r i s t t h i s d o c u m e n t posse-sses a i n t e r e s t as it m e n t i o n s m e m b e r s in t h e officium of t h e pre-fect (exceptor, beneficiarius).
I n t h e second l e t t e r ( V I — V I I cent. A. D.) — t h e writer a n n o u n c e s t h e d e s p a t c h of a w e d d i n g p r e s e n t : t h e ducks. T h e bride is called νύμφη a n d t h e writer wishes (v. 3—4) „ m a y G o d preserve y o u a n d
