Museum of Antiquity: A Description of Ancient LifeYaggy, L. W. (Levi W.)
History
Museum of Antiquity: A Description of Ancient Life
Yaggy, L. W. (Levi W.)
Civilization, Ancient; Classical antiquities
It stated the name of the individual who sold the land, the
description of his person, an account of his parentage, profession,
and place of abode, the extent and nature of the land, its situation
and boundaries, and concluded with the name of the purchaser, whose
parentage and description were also added, and the sum for which it
was bought. The seller then vouched for his undisturbed possession of
it; and, becoming security against any attempt to dispute his title,
the name of the other party was inserted as having accepted it, and
acknowledged the purchase. The names of witnesses were then affixed;
and, the president of the court having added his signature, the deed
was valid. Sometimes the seller formally recognized the sale in the
following manner:
"All these things have I sold thee: they are thine, I have received
their price from thee, and will make no demand upon thee for them from
this day; and if any person disturb thee in the possession of them, I
will withstand the attempt; and, if I do not otherwise repel it, I
will use compulsory means, or, I will indemnify thee."
But, in order to give a more accurate notion of the form of these
contracts, we shall introduce a copy of the whole of one of them, as
given by Dr. Young, and refer the reader to others occurring in the
same work. "Translation of the enchorial papyrus of Paris, containing
the original deed relating to the mummies:--'This writing dated in the
year 36, Athyr 20, in the reign of our sovereigns Ptolemy and
Cleopatra his sister, the children of Ptolemy and Cleopatra the
divine, the gods Illustrious: and the priest of Alexander, and of the
Saviour gods, of the Brother gods, of the Beneficent gods, of the
Father-loving gods, of the Illustrious gods, of the Paternal god, and
of the Mother-loving gods, being (as by law appointed): and the
prize-bearer of Berenice the Beneficent, and the basket-bearer of
Arsinoe the Brother-loving, and the priestess of Arsinoe the
Father-loving, being as appointed in the metropolis (of Alexandria);
and in (Ptolemais) the royal city of the Thebaid? the guardian priest
for the year? of Ptolemy Soter, and the priest of king Ptolemy the
Father-loving, and the priest of Ptolemy the Brother-loving, and the
priest of Ptolemy the Beneficent, and the priest of Ptolemy the
Mother-loving; and the priestess of queen Cleopatra, and the priestess
of the princess Cleopatra, and the priestess of Cleopatra, the (queen)
mother, deceased, the Illustrious; and the basket-bearer of Arsinoe
the Brother-loving (being as appointed): declares: The Dresser? in the
temple of the Goddess Onnophris, the son of Horus, and of Senpoeris,
daughter of Spotus? ("aged about forty, lively,") tall ("of a sallow
complexion, hollow-eyed, and bald"); in the temple of the goddess to
(Horus) his brother? the son of Horus and of Senpoeris, has sold, for
a price in money, half of one-third of the collections for the dead
"priests of Osiris?" lying in Thynabunum ...
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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