The Roman Army, 31 BC–AD 337: A Sourcebook

The army in peacetime 117
This record (perhaps derived from a morning report) of detached service for
individual soldiers may refer to Legion III Cyrenaica. The soldiers are absent
for a minimum of about four months and a maximum of ten and a half months.
185 Daris, Documenti 66, terracotta jar, Oxyrhynchus, Egypt, 2 BC
From the Ox(yrhynchite) nome.
Ammonios, son of Ammonios, helmsman of the public boat whose
emblem is [ _ _ _ ] through the agency of Lucius Oclatius, soldier on
marine escort duty, of the twenty-second legion, second cohort, century
of Maximus Stoltius, and Hermias, son of Petalos, helmsman of another
boat whose emblem is Egypt, through the agency of Lucius Castricius,
soldier on marine escort duty, of the twenty-second legion, fourth
cohort, century of Titus Pompeius. This is a specimen of what we placed
on board out of the produce of the twenty-eighth (year) of Caesar;
Ammonios (filled) up to the bulwarks with 433 1/4 artabae (about 22,529
litres) of wheat, and similarly Hermias with 433 1/4 artabae of wheat;
all these were placed on board by Leonidas and Apollonios, corn
collectors of the eastern section of the lower toparchy, 866 1/2 artabae
(about 45,058 litres) of wheat, and we made a further measurement of
a half artabe (about 26 litres) of wheat for every hundred artabae (5,200
litres). (This is for the purpose of tax.) We carried out the loading from
the 2nd of Hathyr to the 4th of the same month, and we have sealed it
(the jar) with both our seals, that of Ammonios whose figure is Ammon,
and that of Hermias whose figure is Harpocrates. Year twenty-nine of
Caesar, 4th Hathyr. (Added in different hand) We, Hermias and
Ammonios have placed our seals on the specimens. Year twenty-nine
of Caesar, 19th Hathyr.
This writing is on a terracotta jar containing the specimen of wheat from the
Oxyrhynchus nome which would be opened in Alexandria to test its purity.
The twenty-second legion is the Deiotariana, stationed at Alexandria.
186 Guéraud 1942, nos 1 and 13, ostraca, Egypt
No. 1
Rustius Barbarus to his brother Pompeius, greetings. Why is it that
you have not written back to me if you received the loaves of bread? I
sent you fifteen loaves with Popilius and Dutuporis, then fifteen more
and a vase (?) with the carter Draco; you have used up four matia (one
third of an artabe) of wheat. I sent you six loaves with the cavalryman