[Yves LASSARD, The Roman Law Library, 2013]

MARRIAGE CONTRACT

Between Heraclides and Demetria, daughter of Leptines

( July 17 - August 15, 310 BC )

( G. Milligan, Selections from the Greek papyri, Cambridge, 1910, pp. 1-4, n. 1 ).

In the seventh year of the reign of Alexander the son of Alexander, the fourteenth year of the satrapy of Ptolemaeus, the month Dios. Contract of marriage between Heraclides and Demetria. Heraclides takes Demetria of Cos as his lawful wife from her father Leptines of Cos and her mother Philotis, both parties being freeborn, and the bride bringing clothing and adornment of the value of 1000 drachmas, and let Heraclides provide for Demetria all things that are fitting for a freeborn woman, and that we should live together wherever shall seem best to Leptines and Heraclides in consultation together. And if Demetria shall be detected doing anything wrong to the shame of her husband Heraclides, let her be deprived of all that she has brought, and let Heraclides prove his charge against Demetria in the presence of three men, whom both shall approve. And let it not be allowed to Heraclides to bring in another woman to the insult of Demetria, nor to beget children by another woman, nor shall Heraclides do any wrong to Demetria on any pretext. And if Heraclides shall be detected doing any of these things, and Demetria shall prove it in the presence of three men, whom both shall approve, let Heraclides repay to Demetria the dowry which she brought to the value of 1000 drachmas, and let him pay in addition 1000 drachmas of Alexander's coinage. And let the right of execution be in accordance with legal justice to Demetria and to those acting with Demetria or Heraclides himself and all Heraclides' friends both on land and sea. And let this contract be valid under all circumstances, as if the agreement had been come to in that place wheresoever Heraclides brings the charge against Demetria, or Demetria and those acting with Demetria bring the charge against Heraclides. And let Heraclides and Demetria enjoy equal legal rights both in preserving their own contracts, and in bringing charges against one another. Witnessed by Cleon of Gela, Anticrates of Temnos, Lysis of Temnos, Dionysius of Temnos, Aristomachus of Cyrene, and Aristodicus of Cos.

Bibliography Rubensohn, Aegyptische Urkunden aus den Kniglichen Museen in Berlin : Griechische Urkunden, Sonderheft. Elephantine-Papyri, Berlin, 1907, n. 1 ; Milligan, Selections from the Greek papyri, Cambridge, 1910, pp. 1-4, n. 1 ; Schubart, Papyri Graecae Berolinenses, Bonn, 1911, 2 ; Mitteis,Grundzge und Chrestomathie der Papyruskunde, Leipzig-Berlin, 1912, Chrest., 283 ; Meyer, Juristische Papyri : Erklrung von Urkunden zur Einfhrung in die juristische Papyruskunde, Berlin, 1920, n. 18 ; Davies, The Cambridge Ancient History, VII, 1, 1923, p. 312 ; Schubart, Griechische Papyri, Urkunden und Briefe vom 4. Jahrhundert v.Chr. bis ins 8. Jahrhundert n.Chr., Bielefeld-Leipzig, 1927, Taf. 9 ; Hunt & Edgar, Select Papyri, I, London, 1932, n. 1 ; Sigalas, Historia tes hellenikes graphes hypo Antoniu Sigala, Thessaloniki, 1934, p. 174 ; Fvrier, Histoire de lcriture, Paris, 1948, p. 384 ; Ibscher, Die Papyri als Zeugen antiker Kultur, Berlin, 1949, Taf. III ; Seider, Palographie der griechischen Papyri, I, Stuttgart, 1967, p. 34 ; Hussein, Vom Papyrus zum Codex, der Beitrag gyptens zur Buchkultur, Mnchen, 1972, p. 65 ; Sigalas, Historia tes hellenikes graphes hypo Antoniu Sigala, Thessaloniki, 1974, p. 196 ; , , , 1980, p. 174 ; Gallo, Avviamento alla papirologia greco-latina, Napoli, 1983, 13 ; Montevecchi, La Papirologia, Milano, 1988, Tav. 10 ; Winter,Tyndale Bulletin, 39, 1988, p. 84 ; Hanson, Biblical Theology Bulletin, 19, 1989, pp. 142151 / 20, 1990, pp. 10-21 ; Pestman, David & Groningen, The new papyrological primer, Leiden, 1990, pp. 67-69 ; Cotton & Greenfield, ZPE, 104, 1994, p. 213 ; , ,

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[Yves LASSARD, The Roman Law Library, 2013]

, 1994, p. 365 ; Pestman & Rupprecht, Berichtigungsliste der griechischen Papyrusurkunden aus Aegypten, IX, Leiden, 1995, p. 78 / XI, p. 76 / XII, p. 66 ; Porten, The Elephantine Paypri in English : Three Millenia of Cross-Cultural Continuity and Change, Leiden-New York-Kln, 1996, D2 ; Powell, The Greek world, New York, 1997, p. 232 ; Habermann, ZPE, 122, 1998, p. 147 ; Rowlandson, Women and Society in Greek and Roman Egypt, Cambridge, 1998, n. 123 ; Vrilhac & Vial, Le mariage grec du VIe sicle av. J.-C. l'poque d'Auguste, Paris-Athens, 1998, pp. 16, 21 and 202 ; Wick in Schubert, Vivre en gypte grco-romaine : Une slection de papyrus, Vevey, 2000, pp. 65-67, n. 6 ; Arnaoutoglou, Mnem, 56, 2003, pp. 760-765 ; Haynes, Fashioning the feminine in the Greek novel, London-New York, 2003, pp. 23-24 ; Bagnall & Derow, The Hellenistic Period : Historical Sources in Translation, Oxford, 2004, n. 145 ; Meyer,Legitimacy and Law in the Roman World : Tabulae in Roman Belief and Practice, Cambridge, 2004, p. 17 ; Legras in Sbillotte Cuchet & Ernoult, Problmes du genre en Grce ancienne, Paris, 2007, pp. 113 ss. ; Cavallo, La scrittura greca e latina dei papiri : Una introduzione, Pisa-Roma, 2008, p. 22 ; Gnther, Griechische Antike, Tbingen, 2008, p. 16 ; Lippert, Einfhrung in die altgyptische Rechtsgeschichte, Berlin-Hamburg-Mnster, 2008, p. 143 ; Richter in Gastgeber, Mitthof & Palme,Quellen zur byzantinischen Rechtspraxis : Aspekte der Textberlieferung, Palographie und Diplomatik, Wien, 2009, p. 49 ; Kugler in Harlow, Goff & Hogan, The "Other" in Second Temple Judaism : Essays in Honor of John J. Collins, Grand Rapids-Cambridge, 2011, p. 464.

Source : Papyrus discovered at Elephantine, Egypt, in 1906.

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