E00208: Greek tax account from Hermopolis (Middle Egypt), mentioning a street named after *Euphemia (presumably the martyr of Chalcedon, S00017) and a street named after *Menas (soldier and martyr buried at Abu Mena, S00073), as well as another street named after a *saint whose name is now lost (S01744); it also mentions an oikonomos of *Sergios (possibly the soldier and martyr of Rusafa, S00023); datable to the 7th c.
online resource
posted on 2014-11-18, 00:00authored bygschenke
P.Lond 3 1028:
An account from Hermopolis of the 7th century with tax payments, gives the amount of money paid by a representative on behalf of the people living on the street of Euphemia and the street of Menas,
Through Georgios, son of Kourios (?), on behalf of the street of saint … 105 solidi and 11 carats.''
(Trans.: G. Schenke)
Full text available under:
http://papyri.info/ddbdp/p.lond;3;1028
History
Evidence ID
E00208
Saint Name
Menas, soldier and martyr Abu Mena : S00073
Euphemia, martyr of Chalcedon : S00017
Saints, name lost or very partially preserved : S01744
Sergios, soldier and martyr of Rusafa : S00023
Documentary texts - Fiscal document
Late antique original manuscripts - Papyrus sheet
Language
Greek
Evidence not before
600
Evidence not after
699
Activity not before
600
Activity not after
699
Place of Evidence - Region
Egypt and Cyrenaica
Place of Evidence - City, village, etc
Hermopolis
Place of evidence - City name in other Language(s)
Hermopolis
Hermopolis
ϣⲙⲟⲩⲛ
Ashmunein
Hermopolis
Cult activities - Places
Cult building - unspecified
Cult activities - Places Named after Saint
Gates, bridges and roads
Source
Papyrus document, list, dated on palaeographical grounds to the 7th century, located at the British Library in London, number 1028.
Discussion
The document refers most probably to the street of a church of Menas. This seems not to have been a small street judging by the amount of taxes due, as one would calculate a solidus per taxpayer/per household.
The identification of the street would suggest that some form of cult for Menas was active in 7th century Hermopolis.
Bibliography
Edition:
Kenyon, F.G., and Bell, H.I., Greek Papyri in the British Museum, vol. 3 (London: British Museum, 1907).
For a full range of the documentary evidence on Menas:
Papaconstantinou, A., Le culte des saints en Égypte des Byzantins aux Abbassides (Paris: CNRS, 2001), 146–154.