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GEI020

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Berezan. Business letter

Description: private letter written on one side of a lead sheet found rolled in a tube; the address is engraved in the sheet’s obverse side (dimensions: h:6.5 w:15.0)

Layout: the writing is left to right

Letters: Milesian alphabet

Origin: Berezan (Black Sea area)

Dating: ca. 500 BC (dated on letters form)

Findspot: Berezan (from the excavations of 1970)

Current location: St. Peterburg, The State Hermitage Museum (inv. 8.70. 322)

Reference edition: Chadwick 1973, 35-37 (cf. SEG 26 845), with changes

Other editions: Ed. pr. Vinogradov 1971 (in Russian with an English summary); Bravo 1974; Pippidi 1974 (in Roumanian, with a French summary); Yailenko 1974 (in Russian, with an English summary); Miller 1975; Merkelbach 1975; Bravo 1977, 52-53, note 6; Kupiszewski 1979, 189-199; Bravo 1980, 880-885; Gallavotti 1987; Gallavotti 1990; Jeffery, Johnston, LSAG2, 420, 478, no. 60c, Pl. 80; L. Dubois, IGDOP 23; Bravo 2011 (cf. BE 2012 306); Ceccarelli 2013, 335, no. 1

Photographs: Jeffery, Johnston, LSAG2, Pl. 80, 1

Translations: Austin, Vidal-Naquet 1977, 220-223 (English); IGDOP 23 (French); Dillon, Garland 2000, no. 1.64 (English); Marginesu 2007, 138-147 (Italian); Ceccarelli 2013, 335, no. 1 (English)

Bibliography: Yailenko 1975 (Russian, with an English summary); Austin, Vidal-Naquet1977, 220-223; Gauthier 1982; Lombardo 1988, 159-187; Wilson 1997, 35-40 (with translation); Vinogradov 1998, 153–78; Heinen 2001, 490-492; Henry 2004, 765-767; Marginesu 2007, 138-147; Solovyov 2007, 88, no. 13; Osborne 2008, 291-292; Eidinow, Taylor 2010, no. E1

recto

Ὦ Πρωταγόρη, ὀ πατήρ τοι ἐπιστέλλε̄ ἀδικε͂ται
ὐπò Ματάσυος, δο̄λõται γάρ μιγ καὶ τõ
φορτηγεσίο̄ ἀπεστέρε̄σεν. ἐλθὼμ παρ᾿ Ἀναξαγόρην
ἀπήγησαι, φησὶ γὰρ αὐτòν Ἀναξαγόρεω
5δõλον ἐ͂ναι μυθεόμενος· Τἄμ᾿ Ἀνα<ξα>γόρης ἔχε̄, καὶ δο̄λο̄ς
καὶ δο̄λας κοἰκίας. ὀ δὲ ἀναβῶι τε
καὶ οὔ φησιν ἐ͂ναι οὐδὲν ἐωυτῶι τε καὶ Ματάσ<υι>
καί φησιν ἐ͂ναι, ἐλεόθερος καὶ οὐδὲν ἐ͂ναι ἐωυτ<ῶ>ι
καὶ Ματά<συι>. <Μα>τάσυ<ι> δὲ τί αὐτῶι κἀναξαγόρη αὐτοὶ
10οἴδασι κατὰ σφᾶς αὐτο̄ς. ταῦτ᾿ Ἀναξαγόρη λέγε̄ν
καὶ τῆ γυναικί. ἔτερα δέ τοι ἐπιστέλλε̄. τὴμ μητέρα
καὶ το̄ς ἀδε<λ>φεὺς <o>ἴ ἐ͂σ{σ}ιν ἐν Ἀρβινάτηισιν ἄγε̄ν ἐς τὴμ πόλιν,
αὐτὸς δὲ Ε̣ὄ̣νεορος ἐλθὼμ παρὰ μινθύωρα καταβήσεται.

verso

Ἀχιλλοδώρο̄ τὸ μολί-
βδιον παρὰ τόμ παῖδα
κἀναξαγόρην

Austin, M.M. and P. Vidal-Naquet (1977), Economic and Social History of Ancient Greece. An Introduction, Berkeley-Los Angeles
Bravo, B. (1974), ‘Une lettre sur plomb de Berezan. Colonisation et modes de contact dans le Pont’, DHA 1, 110-187
Bravo, B. (1977), ‘Remarques sur les assises sociales, les formes d’organisation et la terminologie du commerce maritime à l’époque archaïque’, DHA 3, 1-59
Bravo, B. (1980), ‘Sulân. Représailles et justice privée contre des étrangers dans les cités grecques. Étude du vocabulaire et des institutions’, ASNP s. III, 10.3, 675-987
Bravo, B. (2011), ‘Tre lettere di mercanti del Mar Nero settentrionale rivisitate. Sui modi di organizzazione e gli attori del commercio e sulla ‘giustizia privata’ in poleis ed emporia’, Palamedes 6, 37-91
Ceccarelli, P. (2013), Ancient Greek Letter Writing. A Cultural History (600 BC–150 BC), Oxford
Chadwick, J. (1973), ‘The Berezan lead letter’, PCPhS 199, 35-37
Dillon, M. and L. Garland (2000), Ancient Greece. Social and Historical Documents from Archaic Times to the Death of Socrates (c. 800 - 399 BC), London-New York
Eidinow, E. and C. Taylor (2010), ‘Lead-Letter Days: Writing, Communication and Crisis in the Ancient Greek World’, CQ 60, 30-62
Gallavotti, C. (1987), ‘Revisione di testi epigrafici’, BollClass 8, 4-9
Gallavotti, C. (1987), ‘Revisione di testi epigrafici’, BollClass 8, 4-9
Gallavotti, C. (1990), ‘Revisione di testi epigrafici’, BollClass 11, 155-159
Gauthier, Ph. (1982), ‘Les saisies licites aux dépens des étrangers dans les cités grecques’, RHD 60, 566-567
Heinen, H. (2001), ‘Sklaverei im nördlichen Schwarzmeergebiet’, in H. Bellen, H. Heinen (eds.), Fünfzig Jahre Forschungen zur antiken Sklaverei an der Mainzer Akademie, 1950-2000, Stuttgart, 487-503
Henry, A.S. (2004), Torone. The Literary, Documentary and Epigraphical Testimonia, I, Athens
Kupiszewski, H. (1979), ‘La lettera di Berezan’, in P. Dimakis (ed.), Symposion 1979: Vorträge zur griechischen und hellenistischen Rechtsgeschichte (Ägina, 3.-7. September 1979), Wien-Köln-Weimar, 189-199
Lombardo, M. (1988), ‘Marchands, transactions économiques, écriture’, in M. Detienne (ed.), Les savoirs de l’écriture en Grèce ancienne, Lille, 159-187/>
Marginesu, G. (2007), ‘Tra oralità e scrittura. A proposito della lettera di Berezan’, PP 62, 138-14
Merkelbach, R. (1975), ‘Nochmals die Bleitafel von Berezan’, ZPE 17, 161-162
Miller, A.P. (1975), ‘Notes on the Berezan lead letter’, ZPE 17, 157-160
Osborne, R. (2008), ‘Archaic Greece’, in I. Morris, R. Saller and W. Scheidel (eds.), Cambridge Economic History of the Greco-Roman World., Cambridge, 277-301
Pippidi, D.M. (1974), ‘Note de lectură’, StudClas 16, 253-255
Solovyov, S.L. (2007), ‘The Berezan Colony: Letter’, in A.A. Trofimova (ed.), Greeks on the Black Sea: ancient art from the Hermitage, Los Angeles
Vinogradov, J.G. (1971), ‘A Greek letter from Berezan’, VDI 4, 74-100
Vinogradov, Y. (1998), ‘The Greek Colonization of the Black Sea Region in the Light of Private Lead Letters’, in G.R. Tsetskhladze (ed.), Greek Colonisation of the Black Sea Area. Historical Interpretation of Archaeology, Stuttgart, 153-178
Wilson, J.P. (1997-1998), ‘The illiterate trader’, BICS 42, 29-53
Yailenko, V.P. (1974), ‘The Berezan letter of Achillodoros. Date and text’, VDI 1, 133-152
Yailenko, V.P. (1975), ‘The Berezan letter of Achillodoros. Interpretation’, VDI 3, 133-150

Greek Economic Inscriptions

GEI020

Berezan. Business letter