A fragmentary papyrus document from Ravenna (north-east Italy) records a grant by the subdeacon Deusdedit of property in Ravenna at the gate dedicated to *Apollinaris (bishop and martyr of Ravenna, S00331) and arch dedicated to *George (soldier and martyr, S00259). Written in Latin in Ravenna, 16 May/13 June 625.
E08417
Documentary texts - Charter or diploma
Documentary texts - Donation document
Late antique original manuscripts - Papyrus sheet
Tjäder P. 21 (excerpt)
[...] Deusdedit u(irum) r(e)u(erendum), subdiaconum [...] iure directo tran[scribo, cedo, trado] et mancipo, pro oblatione et remedio anime meae, id est sex uncias princip[ales / totius substantiae meae mobile et immobile seseque moventibus excepto omnes mancipios quiuslibet locis [uel terris con]stitu[to]s, nec non et de omni supellec[ti]le ex qualibet linea uel titulo mihi / [...] in integro, qui est con[stitutus su]b porta s(an)c(t)i Apolenari[s et ante a]rco s(an)c(t)i Georgii [...]
'Deusdedit, reverend man, subdeacon ... this I convey, cede, transmit and release from lawful ownership, as an offering and for the remedy of my soul, that is: the six principal twelfths of all my substance, mobile and immobile, and with all moveables which are at any of these lands or places - with the exception of all the slaves - and also all everything pertaining, from any such line or title <text missing>... in its entirety, which is situated under the gate of Saint Apollinaris and before the arch of Saint George...'
Text: Tjäder 1955-82: i. 352-8.
Translation: B. Savill
Gates, bridges and roads
Other
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesEcclesiastics - lesser clergy
Source
Thirty-eight papyrus documents (plus a further four of less certain provenance) dating from the years 445 to c. 700 survive today from the archives of the church of Ravenna. Most were produced in the city, although some appear to have come to Ravenna via interested parties after originally being issued at other centres (e.g. Faenza, Syracuse, Nepi). An exceptionally rare witness to late antique documentary culture, the Ravenna papyri constitute the single largest corpus of Latin papyri documents still extant, although the collection is now dispersed between a number of libraries across Europe and North America. The standard modern edition is Tjäder 1955-82. We have included in our database the eight documents from this corpus which provide evidence for saints' cults before c. 700.This papyrus (300 x 500 mm) is now Vatican City, Bibliotheca Apostolica Vaticana, Pap. lat. 5.
Discussion
For much later evidence of the cult of George in Ravenna, see E05788 and E05815; for a bridge dedicated to Apollinaris, E05771.Bibliography
EditionDie nichtliterarischen lateinischen Papyri Italiens aus der Zeit 445-700, ed. J.-O. Tjäder, 2 vols (Lund and Stockholm, 1955-82).
Benjamin Savill
04/03/2023
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00259 | George, soldier and martyr, and Companions | Georgius | Certain | S00331 | Apollinaris, bishop and martyr of Ravenna | Apolenaris | Certain |
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