Ancient Fragments

Acknowledgment of indebtedness (A.D. 223-224)
"If I fail to repay as is set down in this bond I will pay you interest at 50 percent, you retaining the right of execution on me and my possessions of any and every sort."—Aurelius Papontos

Like most of the citizens of Oxyrhynchus, this man was illiterate and had to hire a scribe to write this legal agreement. The employment of scribes had a major influence upon the tone of all personal documents in Oxyrhynchus, even private letters, which tended to be very formal and impersonal.

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