Dryton and Apollonia Archive

The Dryton and Apollonia archive consists of fragments of 40 papyri written in both Koine Greek and Demotic (Egyptian) from 150-99 BCE although some of the events referenced took place as far back as 176 or 175 BCE. The archive documents wills, financial transactions, and divorces of the Dryton household who lived in the Thebaid: specifically the cities of Ptolemais and Pathyris (see also Ptolemaic Egypt). Currently these documents are scattered amongst museum collections in the United States, England, France, Germany, and Egypt.[1]

Contents

The significance of this archive is that the documents seem to interchange between two languages in such a way that one may presume the entire household to be bilingual. Dryton was a cavalry officer in Ptolemais, a Greek city in Upper Egypt. It shows he was married to Sarapias by whom he had a son, Esthladas. They divorced and Dryton took his son with him in his transfer to Pathyris around 152 BCE. It was here he met his second wife Apollonia, also known by her Egyptian name of Senmonthis, who most likely was a teen, to his almost fifty years of age. Greeks in Ptolemaic Egypt only associated with other Greeks and did not interact with the natives; however, Dryton appears to have developed a more Egyptian lifestyle towards the end of his life with his marriage to Apollonia. Esthladas seems to have followed in his father’s footsteps and earned a living as a professional soldier and through private land ownership. He appears to have adapted to a more Egyptian way of life and was also both fluent and literate in the Egyptian language of Demotic and Greek as many of the later documents pertain to him specifically. He inherited the majority of land and assets following his father's death, but he shared some of this land with his stepmother and stepsisters.[2]

Another focus for those who study this archive is on the relationships between mother and the five daughters (Apollonia/Senmouthis, Aristo/Semonthis, Aphrodisia/Takhratis, Nikarion/Thermouthis, Apollonia the Younger/Senpelaia) as a way to glimpse gender roles of both Greek and Egyptian families. In Dryton's last will in 126 BCE he states that:

"And to my wife Apollonia also called Senmonthis, if she stays home and is irreproachable, [his children] shall give every month for four years for the maintenance of herself and her two daughters 2½ artabs of wheat, 1/12 of croton (genus), and 200 copper drachmas...Whatever property Senmonthis may have evidently acquired for herself while married to Dryton, she is to continue to own."[3]

In addition to maintaining possession of land, Apollonia was also involved in lending money, which is seen in a number of documents that record her financial transactions. Her five daughters were all kept and raised which follows the Egyptian custom of no infanticide regardless of money or gender. This particular will also gives their daughters a small portion of the estate. He also provided dowry arrangements for Aristo and Aphrodisia. At this time his first daughter, Apollonia, appears to have been married, so she did not receive an additional sum of money. Nikarion and Apollonia the Younger were mere children and an amount of money was to be given them until they turned 17 or 18 years old. Overall, it seems that his will was fairly typical for a Greek citizen during the Hellenistic period.[4]

Notes

1. Lewis, N: “Greeks in Ptolemaic Egypt”, pp 88–103. Oxford University Press, 1986
2. Lewis, N: Greeks in Ptolemaic Egypt, pp 88–103. Oxford University Press, 1986
3. Pomeroy, S: “Women in Hellenistic Egypt”, pp 106. Schocken Books, 1984
4. Pomeroy, S: “Women in Hellenistic Egypt”, pp 103–123. Schocken Books, 1984

References

• Ameling, Walter. (2002). "Dryton." Brill's New Pauly: Encyclopaedia of the Ancient World. 4: 729. Leiden: Brill. Retrieved on 2007-05-10.
• Lewis, Naphtali (1986). Greeks in Ptolemaic Egypt. Oxford University Press, 88-103. ISBN 0-19-814867-4.
• Pomeroy, Sarah B. (1984). Women in Hellenistic Egypt. Schocken Books, 103-123. ISBN 0-8052-3911-1.