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Uri Yiftach

Tel Aviv University, Clasical Studies, Faculty Member

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Uri Yiftach is an Associate Professor in the Department of Classics at Tel-Aviv University. His main fields of interest are papyrology, the legal and administrative history of Ptolemaic and Roman Egypt, the development of the Greek language in documentary texts, and the edition of Greek documentary texts. He has been the co-founder of multiple groups to promote the study of law, contracts, and administrative practice from the Ancient Near East through late Antiquity. The annual meetings of one of these groups, "Legal Documents in Ancient Societies," resulted in eight books, in four of which Professor Yiftach was sole or co-editor. Currently, Professor Yiftach is engaged in preparing for publication the monograph The Taxonomy of the Legal Document, which will offer a detailed account of some 430 clauses recorded in Greek legal documents on papyrus from Egypt and other parts of the Eastern Mediterranean basin.

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Research Network Imperium & Officium

University of Vienna

Austrian Academy of Sciences

Carlos Sánchez-Moreno Ellart

Universitat de València

New York University

jane rowlandson

King's College London

National & Kapodistrian University of Athens

Károli Gáspár Református Egyetem

Eleni Tsitsianopoulou

National & Kapodistrian University of Athens

Amphilochios Papathomas

National & Kapodistrian University of Athens

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Papers by Uri Yiftach

P.COL. INV. 84 (7): A SPECIAL REPORT (ΠΡΟΣΦΩΝΗΣΙΣ), PRESUMABLY ISSUED BY CΙΤΟΛΟΓΟΙ (98 CE, OXYRHYNCHITES?)

Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik 229, 2024

Law in Ptolemaic and Roman Egypt

The papyri from Egypt allow a rare glimpse of the workings of Greek law outside the settings of t... more The papyri from Egypt allow a rare glimpse of the workings of Greek law outside the settings of the polis. The evidence stems from an extremely long period from the Macedonian to the Arab conquest, a period in the course of which Greek law interacted with and was influenced by other legal cultures, most notably Egyptian and Roman. The evidence is also unique: literary sources play a marginal role, as do inscriptions. It is rather private correspondence, texts composed on papyrus for ephemeral purposes, discarded and uncovered millennia later, that provides most of our evidence. Such direct access to everyday documentation is one of the most fascinating features of legal papyrology.

Family Cooperation in Contracts: Patterns and Trends

Cooperation among multiple family members in contracts is a universal phenomenon. At the same tim... more Cooperation among multiple family members in contracts is a universal phenomenon. At the same time, while in the case of most types of contracts all family members take the same position, in one case, that of the sale of landed property, we note the distinction between one family member, who sells the object, and others, who express their consent. The consent clause is attested not only in Greek papyri from Egypt, but also epigraphically, primarily in manumission inscriptions from Hellenistic Greece, as well as in Demotic acts of sale. A comparative, cross-cultural analysis thus becomes possible. La collaborazione tra più membri della stessa famiglia nei contratti è un fenomeno riscontrabile ovunque. Nello stesso tempo, mentre nella maggior parte delle tipologie di contratto tutti i membri della famiglia ricoprono lo stesso ruolo, nel caso della vendita di proprietà fondiarie si riscontra una distinzione tra il rappresentante della famiglia che vende l'oggetto e gli altri, che esprimono il loro consenso. La clausola di consenso non è attestata solo nei papiri greci dell'Egitto, ma anche per via epigrafi ca, soprattutto nelle iscrizioni di manomissione della Grecia ellenistica come pure negli atti di vendita in demotico. È dunque possibile un'analisi comparativa e interculturale. Eight years ago I started to develop th e databank "Synallagma, Greek contract in context". 2 As all papyrologists and legal historians know, documents recording legal acts consist of established formulae and clauses. The original incentive for the creation of the databank was to enable scholars to study the structure of these clauses, as well as the regional and diachronic changes in their content. The number of documents already studied and formulaically dis

From Arsinoe and Alexandria and beyond: Taxation and information in early Roman Egypt. A discussion of P.Bagnall 70

Journal of Juristic Papyrology, 2015

Dikai in the chôra: Another Perspective of Mélèze-Modrzejewski’s Politikoi Nomoi

ISBN, 2018

In his règle de droit dans l'Égypte ptolémaïque Professor Mélèze Modrzejewski studied how the law... more In his règle de droit dans l'Égypte ptolémaïque Professor Mélèze Modrzejewski studied how the law of the Greek city state penetrated the Egyptian chôra in the Hellenstic period. Focusing on a sphere of the law that was left untreated in that seminal paper-the prosecution of delicts-this paper stresses the relyance of Greek courts and state officials in the chôra on types of suits (dikai) originally conceived within the law of the city of Alexandria.

Dividing a family estate in the early 6th c. A.D

Journal of Roman Archaeology, 2016

commenting, whereas the volume in question is meant to serve as an archaeological report. In that... more commenting, whereas the volume in question is meant to serve as an archaeological report. In that respect, the author has certainly delivered the goods, insofar as possible, for understanding Churches EA and E, in detail. Indeed, when I read an archaeological report such as this, I look for two things: the immediate gratification of encountering a few new ideas, and the enduring substance of the documentation. In sum, the volume under review modestly provides both, and Churches EA and E may now enter into the discourse on Byzantine architectural history. Because of this, the book will serve as a fitting tribute to the late Hans Buchwald.

Immigration, Globalization, and the Impact on Private Law

Reconstructing Karanis

Dividing a family estate in the early 6th c. A.D. - LUDWIG KOENEN, JORMA KAIMIO, MAARIT KAIMIO and ROBERT W. DANIEL, with contributions by A. Arjava, M. Buchholz, R. C. Caldwell, H. Ali Falahat, W. H. Finch, J. Frösén, T. Gagos, O. al-Ghul, A. M. Al-Jallad, C. A. Kuehn, M. Lehtinen and T. Purola,...

Journal of Roman Archaeology, 2016

commenting, whereas the volume in question is meant to serve as an archaeological report. In that... more commenting, whereas the volume in question is meant to serve as an archaeological report. In that respect, the author has certainly delivered the goods, insofar as possible, for understanding Churches EA and E, in detail. Indeed, when I read an archaeological report such as this, I look for two things: the immediate gratification of encountering a few new ideas, and the enduring substance of the documentation. In sum, the volume under review modestly provides both, and Churches EA and E may now enter into the discourse on Byzantine architectural history. Because of this, the book will serve as a fitting tribute to the late Hans Buchwald.

Anne-Marie Vérilhac/Claude Vial, Le mariage grec du VIe siècle av. J.-C. à l'époque d'Auguste

Zeitschrift der Savigny-Stiftung für Rechtsgeschichte. Romanistische Abteilung, Aug 1, 2002

Quantifying Literacy in the Early Roman Arsinoitês: the Case of the Grapheion Document

EUT Edizioni Università di Trieste eBooks, 2016

Order and Chaos in Roman Administrative Terminology

Oxford University Press eBooks, Jun 11, 2020

This chapter examines one of the mechanisms used by the Roman administration in Egypt to organize... more This chapter examines one of the mechanisms used by the Roman administration in Egypt to organize data: ‘all-embracing’ categories, and the manner in which the imperial government divided and categorized the provincial population. The concentration is on taxes and registration. Differences are found in the categorizations most commonly employed in different parts of the province and in different types of document, meaning that individuals could be labelled differently depending on context. While many categories had their roots in the previous regime, there were a few significant innovations, most notably the invention of the category of ‘the Egyptians’ to encompass all who were not Roman or Alexandrian. This has significant implications for the creation of a unified set of rules, applicable to this category of people in all legal cases and thus transformed the legal landscape from that under the Ptolemies.

The rise of the flexible template: patterns of change in identification methods between the Ptolemaic and the Roman Period

Éditions de la Sorbonne eBooks, 2019

The following paper presents the preliminary results of a survey of different forms of designatio... more The following paper presents the preliminary results of a survey of different forms of designation for persons in documentary papyri. For the Ptolemaic period, the survey includes legal documents and lists; our discussion of the Roman period will also include personal notifications, a new type of documentation introduced after 30 BCE. Other documentary genres, in particular petitions and letters, have been left for a future investigation. In this paper, I will (1) posit that, in the Ptolemaic..

Transfers culturels et droits dans le monde grec et hellénistique: actes de colloque international (Reims, 14–17 mai 2008)

Mediterranean Historical Review, Jan 2, 2015

planners, geographers, urban scholars and architects. The Mediterranean is explored as a micro-co... more planners, geographers, urban scholars and architects. The Mediterranean is explored as a micro-cosmos of emerging agendas that are at the heart of current debates outside the Mediterranean basin. Among them are globalization and immigration, the transformed form of contemporary urbanization (233), the heritage of illegal construction (238), the capacity of cities to adapt and survive (285), cosmopolitanism (325) and technologies of power that shape border regimes (303). These issues are mostly explored as relevant for the here and now. In this respect, this is not a historical book. Even diachronic analyses (as in Leontidou’s account of modern Athens) or overviews of historical plans (as in the essay about Sörgel’s project) contribute to the understanding of the Mediterranean as a contemporary phenomenon. When viewed together, the essays present a multi-scalar and non-hierarchical analysis, in which the notion(s) of the ‘Mediterranean’, ‘city’, or ‘region’ are not taken for granted, thus contributing to what Neil Brenner calls elsewhere the unmasking of the myths, reifications and antinomies that pervade bourgeois forms of knowledge. The strength of the volume lies in the manner in which it reads the ‘Mediterranean’ as a constantly changing entity, affected by clashing power relations, identities and definitions. This reading points to the potential benefits of conflicts; as Herzfeld states: ‘violent conflicts that lead to bloodshed are hard to justify; but the conflict of ideas can allow cities to become places for the expression of a multiplicity of views’ (66). This view not only echoes Richard Sennett’s argument that some disorder, disagreement and conflict are needed in cities, but also presents an optimistic view of an area that was – and still is – shaped by war, competition and struggle.

THE IMPACT OF THE STIPULATIO: ON THE RECEPTION OF DIGEST 19.2.54.1 IN BYZANTINE OXYRHYNCHOS

SYMPOSION 2022: Vorträge zur griechischen und hellenistischen Rechtsgeschichte (Gmunden, 22.–24 August 2022), 2024

Abstract: The impact of the stipulatio on the shape and language of Greek legal documents after t... more Abstract: The impact of the stipulatio on the shape and language of Greek legal documents after the Constitutio Antoniniana has long been acknowledged. At the same time, past studies of that impact have focused first and foremost on the stipulation-clause that was incorporated into Greek legal documents immediately after 212 CE to render their contents actionable in Roman courts of law. In the present paper, I wish to propose a different approach. Documents from the late Roman and Byzantine periods exhibit multiple innovations in terminology, syntax,
and content, that, I suggest, derive from a Roman legal language and institutions engendered, in the classical period, in the context of the stipulatio. In one particular case, that of contracts of labour from mid and late sixth century Oxyrhynchos, a clause legitimizing the ‘warranted’ expulsion of the lessee by the lessor in the duration of the contract, may derive from the text of the fifth book of Paul’s responsa as incorporated in Justinian’s Digest 19.2.54.1.

Hans -Albert Rupprecht, Recht und Rechtsleben im ptolemäischen und römischen Ägypten. An der Schnittstelle griechischen und ägyptischen Rechts 332 a.C.– 212 p.C

Zeitschrift der Savigny-Stiftung für Rechtsgeschichte. Romanistische Abteilung, 2014

Ungerechter, gerissener oder kluger Haushalter? Zu den juristischen Hintergründen von Lukas 16,1-... more Ungerechter, gerissener oder kluger Haushalter? Zu den juristischen Hintergründen von Lukas 16,1-8� The Parable of the Unjust Steward, one of Jesus' most famous parables, still raises great difficulties and brings about scholarly disputes� The contemporary audience, however, was most likely familiar with the essentials of the parable's legal background� An analysis of this background shows that illicit agreements on interest rates may plausibly explain all the concisely phrased facts of the case� This may as well shed new light on the master's rather surprising commendation of the steward's behaviour which has been judged to be dishonest by most modern expositors� An essential role in this respect is played by the concept of active repentance, which apparently has not been taken into account so far� (p� 1)

Family Cooperation in Contracts: Patterns and Trends

Cooperation among multiple family members in contracts is a universal phenomenon. At the same tim... more Cooperation among multiple family members in contracts is a universal phenomenon. At the same time, while in the case of most types of contracts all family members take the same position, in one case, that of the sale of landed property, we note the distinction between one family member, who sells the object, and others, who express their consent. The consent clause is attested not only in Greek papyri from Egypt, but also epigraphically, primarily in manumission inscriptions from Hellenistic Greece, as well as in Demotic acts of sale. A comparative, cross-cultural analysis thus becomes possible. La collaborazione tra più membri della stessa famiglia nei contratti è un fenomeno riscontrabile ovunque. Nello stesso tempo, mentre nella maggior parte delle tipologie di contratto tutti i membri della famiglia ricoprono lo stesso ruolo, nel caso della vendita di proprietà fondiarie si riscontra una distinzione tra il rappresentante della famiglia che vende l'oggetto e gli altri, che esprimono il loro consenso. La clausola di consenso non è attestata solo nei papiri greci dell'Egitto, ma anche per via epigrafi ca, soprattutto nelle iscrizioni di manomissione della Grecia ellenistica come pure negli atti di vendita in demotico. È dunque possibile un'analisi comparativa e interculturale. Eight years ago I started to develop th e databank "Synallagma, Greek contract in context". 2 As all papyrologists and legal historians know, documents recording legal acts consist of established formulae and clauses. The original incentive for the creation of the databank was to enable scholars to study the structure of these clauses, as well as the regional and diachronic changes in their content. The number of documents already studied and formulaically dis-1 Thanks are due to Michele Faraguna, Edward Harris, Hans-Albert Rupprecht, as well as to the anonymous readers for their careful reading and for their insightful comments. All errors, of course, remain mine. The present paper is published in the connection with the project Synopsis, Data Processing and State Management in Early Roman Egypt undertaken in cooperation with Professor Andrea Jördens of the Institut für Papyrologie, Heidelberg. 2 Synallagma. Greek Contracts in Context is accessible at t=glrt&username=guest&password=guest

Law and Transaction Costs in the Ancient Economy

Transaction costs (TC) are the "friction" in an economic system, and their analysis is ... more Transaction costs (TC) are the "friction" in an economic system, and their analysis is vital to understanding institutional design and economic performance. Law and Transaction Costs in the Ancient Economy is the first volume to collect specific studies from a transaction cost perspective. The volume offers models of this new way of looking at ancient evidence, and suggests ways in which traditional subject areas might inform problems in contemporary economics and legal studies. After the editors' methodological introduction, the contributors investigate the roles and effects of transaction costs in fourth-century Athens, Ptolemaic Egypt, the Roman Empire, and late antiquity, on the basis of legal texts, papyri, and inscriptions. Collected here are some of the leading voices on TC analysis in ancient history, as well as established scholars , including several who do not usually publish in English: Alain Bresson, Giuseppe Dari-Mattiacci, Rudolf Haensch, Dennis Kehoe, Francois Lerouxel, J. G. Manning, Brian Muhs, Josiah Ober, David Ratzan, Gerhard Thur, and Uri Yiftach. This volume will speak to those who identify with traditional subject areas, like epigraphy or Greek law, and will also demonstrate the value of experimenting with this new way of looking at ancient evidence.

P.COL. INV. 84 (7): A SPECIAL REPORT (ΠΡΟΣΦΩΝΗΣΙΣ), PRESUMABLY ISSUED BY CΙΤΟΛΟΓΟΙ (98 CE, OXYRHYNCHITES?)

Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik 229, 2024

Law in Ptolemaic and Roman Egypt

The papyri from Egypt allow a rare glimpse of the workings of Greek law outside the settings of t... more The papyri from Egypt allow a rare glimpse of the workings of Greek law outside the settings of the polis. The evidence stems from an extremely long period from the Macedonian to the Arab conquest, a period in the course of which Greek law interacted with and was influenced by other legal cultures, most notably Egyptian and Roman. The evidence is also unique: literary sources play a marginal role, as do inscriptions. It is rather private correspondence, texts composed on papyrus for ephemeral purposes, discarded and uncovered millennia later, that provides most of our evidence. Such direct access to everyday documentation is one of the most fascinating features of legal papyrology.

Family Cooperation in Contracts: Patterns and Trends

Cooperation among multiple family members in contracts is a universal phenomenon. At the same tim... more Cooperation among multiple family members in contracts is a universal phenomenon. At the same time, while in the case of most types of contracts all family members take the same position, in one case, that of the sale of landed property, we note the distinction between one family member, who sells the object, and others, who express their consent. The consent clause is attested not only in Greek papyri from Egypt, but also epigraphically, primarily in manumission inscriptions from Hellenistic Greece, as well as in Demotic acts of sale. A comparative, cross-cultural analysis thus becomes possible. La collaborazione tra più membri della stessa famiglia nei contratti è un fenomeno riscontrabile ovunque. Nello stesso tempo, mentre nella maggior parte delle tipologie di contratto tutti i membri della famiglia ricoprono lo stesso ruolo, nel caso della vendita di proprietà fondiarie si riscontra una distinzione tra il rappresentante della famiglia che vende l'oggetto e gli altri, che esprimono il loro consenso. La clausola di consenso non è attestata solo nei papiri greci dell'Egitto, ma anche per via epigrafi ca, soprattutto nelle iscrizioni di manomissione della Grecia ellenistica come pure negli atti di vendita in demotico. È dunque possibile un'analisi comparativa e interculturale. Eight years ago I started to develop th e databank "Synallagma, Greek contract in context". 2 As all papyrologists and legal historians know, documents recording legal acts consist of established formulae and clauses. The original incentive for the creation of the databank was to enable scholars to study the structure of these clauses, as well as the regional and diachronic changes in their content. The number of documents already studied and formulaically dis

From Arsinoe and Alexandria and beyond: Taxation and information in early Roman Egypt. A discussion of P.Bagnall 70

Journal of Juristic Papyrology, 2015

Dikai in the chôra: Another Perspective of Mélèze-Modrzejewski’s Politikoi Nomoi

ISBN, 2018

In his règle de droit dans l'Égypte ptolémaïque Professor Mélèze Modrzejewski studied how the law... more In his règle de droit dans l'Égypte ptolémaïque Professor Mélèze Modrzejewski studied how the law of the Greek city state penetrated the Egyptian chôra in the Hellenstic period. Focusing on a sphere of the law that was left untreated in that seminal paper-the prosecution of delicts-this paper stresses the relyance of Greek courts and state officials in the chôra on types of suits (dikai) originally conceived within the law of the city of Alexandria.

Dividing a family estate in the early 6th c. A.D

Journal of Roman Archaeology, 2016

commenting, whereas the volume in question is meant to serve as an archaeological report. In that... more commenting, whereas the volume in question is meant to serve as an archaeological report. In that respect, the author has certainly delivered the goods, insofar as possible, for understanding Churches EA and E, in detail. Indeed, when I read an archaeological report such as this, I look for two things: the immediate gratification of encountering a few new ideas, and the enduring substance of the documentation. In sum, the volume under review modestly provides both, and Churches EA and E may now enter into the discourse on Byzantine architectural history. Because of this, the book will serve as a fitting tribute to the late Hans Buchwald.

Immigration, Globalization, and the Impact on Private Law

Reconstructing Karanis

Dividing a family estate in the early 6th c. A.D. - LUDWIG KOENEN, JORMA KAIMIO, MAARIT KAIMIO and ROBERT W. DANIEL, with contributions by A. Arjava, M. Buchholz, R. C. Caldwell, H. Ali Falahat, W. H. Finch, J. Frösén, T. Gagos, O. al-Ghul, A. M. Al-Jallad, C. A. Kuehn, M. Lehtinen and T. Purola,...

Journal of Roman Archaeology, 2016

commenting, whereas the volume in question is meant to serve as an archaeological report. In that... more commenting, whereas the volume in question is meant to serve as an archaeological report. In that respect, the author has certainly delivered the goods, insofar as possible, for understanding Churches EA and E, in detail. Indeed, when I read an archaeological report such as this, I look for two things: the immediate gratification of encountering a few new ideas, and the enduring substance of the documentation. In sum, the volume under review modestly provides both, and Churches EA and E may now enter into the discourse on Byzantine architectural history. Because of this, the book will serve as a fitting tribute to the late Hans Buchwald.

Anne-Marie Vérilhac/Claude Vial, Le mariage grec du VIe siècle av. J.-C. à l'époque d'Auguste

Zeitschrift der Savigny-Stiftung für Rechtsgeschichte. Romanistische Abteilung, Aug 1, 2002

Quantifying Literacy in the Early Roman Arsinoitês: the Case of the Grapheion Document

EUT Edizioni Università di Trieste eBooks, 2016

Order and Chaos in Roman Administrative Terminology

Oxford University Press eBooks, Jun 11, 2020

This chapter examines one of the mechanisms used by the Roman administration in Egypt to organize... more This chapter examines one of the mechanisms used by the Roman administration in Egypt to organize data: ‘all-embracing’ categories, and the manner in which the imperial government divided and categorized the provincial population. The concentration is on taxes and registration. Differences are found in the categorizations most commonly employed in different parts of the province and in different types of document, meaning that individuals could be labelled differently depending on context. While many categories had their roots in the previous regime, there were a few significant innovations, most notably the invention of the category of ‘the Egyptians’ to encompass all who were not Roman or Alexandrian. This has significant implications for the creation of a unified set of rules, applicable to this category of people in all legal cases and thus transformed the legal landscape from that under the Ptolemies.

The rise of the flexible template: patterns of change in identification methods between the Ptolemaic and the Roman Period

Éditions de la Sorbonne eBooks, 2019

The following paper presents the preliminary results of a survey of different forms of designatio... more The following paper presents the preliminary results of a survey of different forms of designation for persons in documentary papyri. For the Ptolemaic period, the survey includes legal documents and lists; our discussion of the Roman period will also include personal notifications, a new type of documentation introduced after 30 BCE. Other documentary genres, in particular petitions and letters, have been left for a future investigation. In this paper, I will (1) posit that, in the Ptolemaic..

Transfers culturels et droits dans le monde grec et hellénistique: actes de colloque international (Reims, 14–17 mai 2008)

Mediterranean Historical Review, Jan 2, 2015

planners, geographers, urban scholars and architects. The Mediterranean is explored as a micro-co... more planners, geographers, urban scholars and architects. The Mediterranean is explored as a micro-cosmos of emerging agendas that are at the heart of current debates outside the Mediterranean basin. Among them are globalization and immigration, the transformed form of contemporary urbanization (233), the heritage of illegal construction (238), the capacity of cities to adapt and survive (285), cosmopolitanism (325) and technologies of power that shape border regimes (303). These issues are mostly explored as relevant for the here and now. In this respect, this is not a historical book. Even diachronic analyses (as in Leontidou’s account of modern Athens) or overviews of historical plans (as in the essay about Sörgel’s project) contribute to the understanding of the Mediterranean as a contemporary phenomenon. When viewed together, the essays present a multi-scalar and non-hierarchical analysis, in which the notion(s) of the ‘Mediterranean’, ‘city’, or ‘region’ are not taken for granted, thus contributing to what Neil Brenner calls elsewhere the unmasking of the myths, reifications and antinomies that pervade bourgeois forms of knowledge. The strength of the volume lies in the manner in which it reads the ‘Mediterranean’ as a constantly changing entity, affected by clashing power relations, identities and definitions. This reading points to the potential benefits of conflicts; as Herzfeld states: ‘violent conflicts that lead to bloodshed are hard to justify; but the conflict of ideas can allow cities to become places for the expression of a multiplicity of views’ (66). This view not only echoes Richard Sennett’s argument that some disorder, disagreement and conflict are needed in cities, but also presents an optimistic view of an area that was – and still is – shaped by war, competition and struggle.

THE IMPACT OF THE STIPULATIO: ON THE RECEPTION OF DIGEST 19.2.54.1 IN BYZANTINE OXYRHYNCHOS

SYMPOSION 2022: Vorträge zur griechischen und hellenistischen Rechtsgeschichte (Gmunden, 22.–24 August 2022), 2024

Abstract: The impact of the stipulatio on the shape and language of Greek legal documents after t... more Abstract: The impact of the stipulatio on the shape and language of Greek legal documents after the Constitutio Antoniniana has long been acknowledged. At the same time, past studies of that impact have focused first and foremost on the stipulation-clause that was incorporated into Greek legal documents immediately after 212 CE to render their contents actionable in Roman courts of law. In the present paper, I wish to propose a different approach. Documents from the late Roman and Byzantine periods exhibit multiple innovations in terminology, syntax,
and content, that, I suggest, derive from a Roman legal language and institutions engendered, in the classical period, in the context of the stipulatio. In one particular case, that of contracts of labour from mid and late sixth century Oxyrhynchos, a clause legitimizing the ‘warranted’ expulsion of the lessee by the lessor in the duration of the contract, may derive from the text of the fifth book of Paul’s responsa as incorporated in Justinian’s Digest 19.2.54.1.

Hans -Albert Rupprecht, Recht und Rechtsleben im ptolemäischen und römischen Ägypten. An der Schnittstelle griechischen und ägyptischen Rechts 332 a.C.– 212 p.C

Zeitschrift der Savigny-Stiftung für Rechtsgeschichte. Romanistische Abteilung, 2014

Ungerechter, gerissener oder kluger Haushalter? Zu den juristischen Hintergründen von Lukas 16,1-... more Ungerechter, gerissener oder kluger Haushalter? Zu den juristischen Hintergründen von Lukas 16,1-8� The Parable of the Unjust Steward, one of Jesus' most famous parables, still raises great difficulties and brings about scholarly disputes� The contemporary audience, however, was most likely familiar with the essentials of the parable's legal background� An analysis of this background shows that illicit agreements on interest rates may plausibly explain all the concisely phrased facts of the case� This may as well shed new light on the master's rather surprising commendation of the steward's behaviour which has been judged to be dishonest by most modern expositors� An essential role in this respect is played by the concept of active repentance, which apparently has not been taken into account so far� (p� 1)

Family Cooperation in Contracts: Patterns and Trends

Cooperation among multiple family members in contracts is a universal phenomenon. At the same tim... more Cooperation among multiple family members in contracts is a universal phenomenon. At the same time, while in the case of most types of contracts all family members take the same position, in one case, that of the sale of landed property, we note the distinction between one family member, who sells the object, and others, who express their consent. The consent clause is attested not only in Greek papyri from Egypt, but also epigraphically, primarily in manumission inscriptions from Hellenistic Greece, as well as in Demotic acts of sale. A comparative, cross-cultural analysis thus becomes possible. La collaborazione tra più membri della stessa famiglia nei contratti è un fenomeno riscontrabile ovunque. Nello stesso tempo, mentre nella maggior parte delle tipologie di contratto tutti i membri della famiglia ricoprono lo stesso ruolo, nel caso della vendita di proprietà fondiarie si riscontra una distinzione tra il rappresentante della famiglia che vende l'oggetto e gli altri, che esprimono il loro consenso. La clausola di consenso non è attestata solo nei papiri greci dell'Egitto, ma anche per via epigrafi ca, soprattutto nelle iscrizioni di manomissione della Grecia ellenistica come pure negli atti di vendita in demotico. È dunque possibile un'analisi comparativa e interculturale. Eight years ago I started to develop th e databank "Synallagma, Greek contract in context". 2 As all papyrologists and legal historians know, documents recording legal acts consist of established formulae and clauses. The original incentive for the creation of the databank was to enable scholars to study the structure of these clauses, as well as the regional and diachronic changes in their content. The number of documents already studied and formulaically dis-1 Thanks are due to Michele Faraguna, Edward Harris, Hans-Albert Rupprecht, as well as to the anonymous readers for their careful reading and for their insightful comments. All errors, of course, remain mine. The present paper is published in the connection with the project Synopsis, Data Processing and State Management in Early Roman Egypt undertaken in cooperation with Professor Andrea Jördens of the Institut für Papyrologie, Heidelberg. 2 Synallagma. Greek Contracts in Context is accessible at t=glrt&username=guest&password=guest

Law and Transaction Costs in the Ancient Economy

Transaction costs (TC) are the "friction" in an economic system, and their analysis is ... more Transaction costs (TC) are the "friction" in an economic system, and their analysis is vital to understanding institutional design and economic performance. Law and Transaction Costs in the Ancient Economy is the first volume to collect specific studies from a transaction cost perspective. The volume offers models of this new way of looking at ancient evidence, and suggests ways in which traditional subject areas might inform problems in contemporary economics and legal studies. After the editors' methodological introduction, the contributors investigate the roles and effects of transaction costs in fourth-century Athens, Ptolemaic Egypt, the Roman Empire, and late antiquity, on the basis of legal texts, papyri, and inscriptions. Collected here are some of the leading voices on TC analysis in ancient history, as well as established scholars , including several who do not usually publish in English: Alain Bresson, Giuseppe Dari-Mattiacci, Rudolf Haensch, Dennis Kehoe, Francois Lerouxel, J. G. Manning, Brian Muhs, Josiah Ober, David Ratzan, Gerhard Thur, and Uri Yiftach. This volume will speak to those who identify with traditional subject areas, like epigraphy or Greek law, and will also demonstrate the value of experimenting with this new way of looking at ancient evidence.

From Sponsio to Homoloia: Legal Syncretism in the Ancient World

This is a draft of a paper held at the last meeting of the ISPCS at Tel Aviv University. 29.5.19.... more This is a draft of a paper held at the last meeting of the ISPCS at Tel Aviv University. 29.5.19. I am still going to develop it before publication, of course, asking (1) to what extent the Greek stipulatio, meaning a confirmation of the performance of a past act, can be found in the Roman sphere. I still havent found it, but the corpus is huge and I need to carry it on before reaching some conclusions. (2) The Roman stipulatio, meaning the pledge of a future act is not common on papyrus, but there are some interesting texts, already mentioned in Simon's excellent monograph. I would in particular like to study more carefully how Byzantine law (Basilika, Theophilus) would take the stipulatio. (3) There is the question of the stipulatio in other laws. I am aware of the coptic scheme, but I have still havent study Jewish, or Syriac law. If anyone can shed light on this, I will be very grateful.

penalty clause athens.pdf

In pursuance of my current effort to create a handbook of clauses in legal documents from Egypt, ... more In pursuance of my current effort to create a handbook of clauses in legal documents from Egypt, I prepared for a meeting held last year in Athens a synopsis of types of penalty clauses from Egypt. The subject has not been subject to a thorough analysis since Berger's monograph (Die Strafklauseln in den Papyrusurkunden (Leipzig 1911)). It seems to me especially important to integrate epigraphy, which I am by no means competent to do. Looking forward for your input!

The Position of Women, ISPCS 2010

Over the last couple of years, I have been engaged in collecting this data, and entering them int... more Over the last couple of years, I have been engaged in collecting this data, and entering them into a databank called Greek Law in Roman Times. The project was supported by the ISF, has been developed by ArtLid incorporated, and the resulting databank now available to the scholarly community at the website of the Hebrew University [[PP1]].

Presentation of "Greek Law in Roman Times", Vienna

When West Met East. The Encounter of Greece and Rome with the Jews, Egyptians, and Others

by David Schaps and Uri Yiftach

Studies Presented to Ranon Katzoff in Honor of his 75th Birthday

Ancient Guardianship: Legal Incapacities in the Ancient World Jerusalem, 3-5.11.2013 (Legal Documents in Ancient Societies VI) (Trieste 2017)

by Uri Yiftach, Michele Faraguna, Lorenzo Gagliardi, and Demokritos Kaltsas

Proprietà letteraria riservata. I diritti di traduzione, memorizzazione elettronica, di riproduzi... more

Law and Legal Practice in Egypt from Alexander to the Arab Conquest

by Joe (J.G.) Manning and Uri Yiftach

Law and Transaction Costs in the Ancient Economy

by David M Ratzan, Uri Yiftach, and Dennis Kehoe

Law and Transaction Costs in the Ancient Economy. Kehoe, D. P., Ratzan, D. M., and Yiftach, U. eds. University of Michigan Press.

Marriage and Marital Arrangements: a history of the Greek marriage document in Egypt, 4th century BCE-4th century CE

D. Schaps, U. Yiftach, D. Dueck, When West Met East: The Encounter of Greece and Rome with the Jews, Egyptians, and Others (GRAECA TERGESTINA STORIA E CIVILTÀ 3) (Triest 2016).

by Uri Yiftach and David Schaps

Proprietà letteraria riservata. I diritti di traduzione, memorizzazione elettronica, di riproduzi... more

Legal Documents in Ancient Societies I: The Letter: Law, State, Society and the Epistolary Format in the Ancient World, Proceedings of a Colloquium held at the American Academy in Rome, 28-30.9.2008 (Wiesbaden 2013).

Review of B. Legras (ed.), Transfers culturels et droits dans le monde grec et hellénistique, Actes de colloque international (Reims, 14–17 mai 2008) (Paris 2012), Mediterranean Historical Review 30/1 (2015) forthcoming.

Review of H.-A. Rupprecht, Recht und Rechtsleben im ptolemäischen und römischen Ägypten : an der Schnittstelle griechischen und ägyptischen Rechts, 332 a.C.-212 p.C. (Mainz 2011), Zeitschrift der Savigny-Stiftung für Rechtsgeschichte, romanistische Abteilung 131 (2014, forthcoming).

Die Zeitschrift der Savigny-Stiftung für Rechtsgeschichte erscheint jährlich in drei selbständige... more

Review of J. Mélèze Modrzejewski, Droit et justice dans le monde grec et hellénistique (Warsaw 2011) Zeitschrift der Savigny-Stiftung für Rechtsgeschichte, romanistische Abteilung 131 romanistische Abteilung (2014, forthcoming).

Die Zeitschrift der Savigny-Stiftung für Rechtsgeschichte erscheint jährlich in drei selbständige... more

Review of J. Evans Grubbs, Law and Family in Late Antiquity – The Emperor Constantine’s Marriage Legislation, Oxford 1995, Zeitschrift der Savigny-Stiftung für Rechtsgeschichte 117 romanistische Abteilung (2000) 598-603.

Review of Cl. Vérilhac and A.M. Vial, Le mariage grec – du VIe siècle av. J.-C. à l'époque d'Auguste, BCH Supp. 32, Paris 1998, Zeitschrift der Savigny-Stiftung für Rechtsgeschichte 119 romanistische Abteilung (2002) 410-417.

Review of H.J. Wolff, Das Recht der griechischen Papyri Ägyptens in der Zeit der Ptolemaeer und des Prinzipats. Erster Band. Bedingungen und Triebkräfte der Rechtsentwicklung (Munich 2002), Scripta Classica Israelica 25 (2006) 173-176.

synallagma sample VII, the rise of the stipulatio.rtf

The introduction of the stipulatio has been seen as the first, immediate sign of the Romanization... more The introduction of the stipulatio has been seen as the first, immediate sign of the Romanization of local contractual practice after 212 CE. Students can consult abundant literature. The period I present here present the earliest data. The reader should note (1) the pace and context of the first infiltration. (2) some unique formulations, that will later be abandonned.
If the data is cited in publication, please show me the courtesy of citing synallagma as your source.

synallagma update VI, Alexandrians in the second century CE.rtf

After long intermission, I send you another sample of the data stored at the synallagma databank.... more After long intermission, I send you another sample of the data stored at the synallagma databank. This time I chose legal douments recording Alexandrian citizens.

The databank is available online. Do not hesitate contacting me for futher guidance.

http://synallagma.tau.ac.il/
Collection: glrt
user: guest
password: guest

The notion of the flexible template

In a lecture delivered two weeks ago I assembled data on the designation strategy in administrati... more In a lecture delivered two weeks ago I assembled data on the designation strategy in administrative and legal documents from Roman Egypt. The bottom line was that scribes were usually given certain key elements, which they normally introduced into the documenation, but could also enter aditional ones. This is what I called a "flexible template". In this respect, the Roman policty was radically different from that of the Ptolemaic administration. I now wish to place the issue of flexibility of the template in a broader context.
I attach both the text of the lecture and the handouts. That labelled "charts" is especially pertinent.

Synallagma Update V: Cheese, Meat and Breadloaves

The assumption is the in every lease, the lessee was expect to present the landlord annually, on ... more The assumption is the in every lease, the lessee was expect to present the landlord annually, on a special occasion, with some of the fruits of the estate. This donation was never, as far as I know, stiuplated in the contract before the BP. Why, I do not know. The reader can consult in that connection the references to the term synetheia.

Synallagma update IV: bebaiosis clause in late third century documentation

With the formulaic analysis of the documents from Egypt close to completion, we are now able to s... more With the formulaic analysis of the documents from Egypt close to completion, we are now able to study the regional and diachronic patterns in the application of different clauses, as well as changes in their formulation. The bebaiosis is an excellent test case: no less than 756 documents recorded in synallagma contain the eviction clause, and the user can study in what types of contracts it is especially common. I chose to bring here a sample covering the documentation of the second half of the third century CE

synallagma, update III: grain loans from the Arsinoite nome, all periods

Synallagma now records metadata on some 1100 loan contracts from Egypt. Among these loan contract... more

Synallagma Update II: Camel sales

Dear All, I decided to add this week a sample of our information relating to a different sphere o... more Dear All, I decided to add this week a sample of our information relating to a different sphere of legal, and economic activity, that is camel sales. The reader can get notion of the places of composition of these documents, the value of the camels, and naturally also of the structure of the document and the key clauses. A link to DDBDP may give you some idea of the formulation of each clause. For further inquiries kindly contact me at [email protected]

synallagma update I: Lease of Vineyards

The databank synallagma: Greek Contract in Context, has now started to incorporate legal document... more The databank synallagma: Greek Contract in Context, has now started to incorporate legal documents on inscriptions, in addition to texts on papyri already inserted ub the past. It has also been extended to record petitions (for which the data from Egypt is now exhaustive, I think), decrees, and court proceedings. I will now occasionally upload result pages from the databank, as a way to encourage the viewers to use the databank independent. For futher inquiries you can contact me per email ([email protected]). I start with metadata on leases of vineyards from Ptolemaic, Roman and Byzantine Egypt.

G-38-111.4/2011 Synopsis: Data Processing and State Management in Roman Egypt (30 BCE-300 CE) Prof. Dr. Joerdens Andrea, Universitaet Heidelberg Dr. Yiftach Uri, Hebrew University

Running a state is based on absorbing, processing and safekeeping information on its population a... more Running a state is based on absorbing, processing and safekeeping information on its population and territory. These operations are conducted by a series of officials and a range of bureaus, whose cooperation is indispensable for the effective performance of these tasks. One mode of cooperation is vertical. A lower instance collects information on site and then forwards it to a higher instance, where the information is used to verify that past decisions were put into practice and as a basis for taking future ones. Still, bureaucratic apparatuses are pyramid-shaped, meaning that the higher instance is expected to receive information from more than one subordinated instance.

Synallagma: Greek Contracts in Context, developed in Collaboration with L. Boffo and M. Faraguna, the University of Trieste, A Comupterized Databank of Greek Legal Documents from Egypt and the Hellenistic World in the Ptolemaic, Roman and Byzantine Periods] ().

The Herakleopolite Agoranomeia Revisited, in XXXth International Congress of Papyrology 25-30 Jul 2022 Paris (France)

by Uri Yiftach and Markus Resel

The present panel focuses on a group of legal documents, which record the conveyance of landed pr... more The present panel focuses on a group of legal documents, which record the conveyance of landed property, mostly of the category of kleros katoikikos. As such, they are not unique. In the Roman period, the kleros katoikikos was privatized, to the extent that its holding did not depend on the occupation or the status of the occupant and became the most common object of conveyance of landed property throughout Egypt. Kleroi katoikikoi became completely conveyable, it is assumed, in the course of the first century CE. The most abundant source of documents recording the conveyance stem from the Arsinoite nome. Here documents recorded at the office of the grapheion followed a largely established scheme, featuring an array of clauses that introduced the capacity of the conveyee to dispose of the object, and an array of stipulations by which the conveyor was prohibited from challenging the title of the conveyee, and was obligated to defend it against future claims by a third party. The said clauses then became routine in any type of document recording land sale well into the Byzantine period. The abundance of documents recording the scheme may allow us to assume its universality, that it was an essentiale negotii whenever landed property was sold. The documents that will be discuss in the panel disspel that assumption. The conveyance of kleroi katoikikoi was recorded in the Herakleopolite nome in instruments composed by the epiteretai agoranomeias. The scheme, which goes back to the first century BCE, is unique. In particular, it does not record the capacity, the defension or the independent babaiosis clause clause. The phenomenon of regional idiosyncrasies is not, per se, unique; what is quite striking is, however, the location. The documents from the Herakleopolite nome unveil at the doorstep of the Fayum a different scribal tradition, which goes back to the late Ptolemaic period and continue to develop, detached from ‘the outside world’ through the second, third and even fourth centuries CE. I thank the organizers of the thirtieth international congress of papyrologists for the opportunity to study together some aspects of this fascinating evidence, and wish us all ein frohes Schaffen!

τὸ ὡρισμένον κατὰ τῶν παρασυγγραφούντων ἐπίτιμον: An Abnormal Penalty Clause in Herakleopolite Acts of Sale

Extract from the taxonomy of the legal document Earlier Transaction20200705 5966 1ag5170

In 231 documents the scribe records earlier contracts, whose validity is affirmed. While 'backgro... more In 231 documents the scribe records earlier contracts, whose validity is affirmed. While 'background' reports the reason for the composition of the present document (35 documents), 'earlier transaction' (193 documents) reports other acts. Within the groups of 193 documents registered here, we can set apart seven categories: 1) Mostly in the genitive absolute, the scribe states that notwithstanding the present act, earlier contracts remain in force. We distinguish here between two key formulations: (1a) with εἰμί: BGU XII 2188.6-7 (526 Herm): κυρίων | ὀντῶν (l. οὐσῶν) καὶ βεβαίων τῶν προτέρων μου̣ συνγραφῶν "my earlier documents being valid and firm" (13 texts). In 6 cases the clause refers to a concrete (below: "con.") legal act; in seven others generally, to any past contract (below: "gen"). All the cases but one are Byzantine, from the Hermopolite and Oxyrhynchite nomes. (1b) with μένω: P.Mich. XI 603.24-26 (134 ArsN): μενόντων | 25[κυ]ρίων ὧν ἔχομεν ἀλλήλ̣ ων χειρο|[γ]ρ̣ άφων. (13 texts) ("Let the cheirographa that we have towards each-other remain effective"). In 13 cases the clause refers to a concrete (below: "con.") legal act. In two only to any general past contract. The formulation is early Roman, primarily recorded in documents from Alexandria and the Arsinoite nome. 2) The same idea as in (1) but differently formulated: the rights of the contractual parties to claims resulting from earlier acts are not affected by the present contract. Here, too, two formulations are used: (2a) μὴ ἐλαττουμένου: BGU III 741.40-45 (143 Alexandria?)): μὴ ἐλ[α]ττουμένου τοῦ Οὐαλερ[ίου] | Ἀμμωνιαν[ο]ῦ [π]ερὶ ὧ[ν ἄ]λλ[ω]ν [ὀ]φ[ε]ί[λ]ι αὐτῷ ὁ | αὐτὸ[ς Γ]έλλι[ος] Οὐάλης [κ]αθʼ ἑτέρ[α]ν συνχώρησιν | τῷ [διε]ληλ[υθ]ότι ἔτει μηνὶ Και[σ]α[ρ]είῳ ἄ[λλ]ων | ἀργυ[ρ]ίου δραχμῶν [τετ]ρακοσ[ί]ων [ἑξήκο]ν|45τα καὶ τόκων. ("…and let Valerius suffer no diminution of rights in respect to another four-hundred sixty silver drachms plus interest, which Gellius Valens owes him by virtue of another synchoresis, composed in the foregoing year, in the month Kaisareios.") In 18 cases the clause refers to a concrete legal act. In 5 only generally to any past contract. The formula is early Roman, recorded in documents from the Arsinoite and Oxyrhynchite nomes. (2b): μένοντoς λόγου: P.Gen. I 9.1.16-19 (252 Phebichis): μένοντός σο[ι] τοῦ | [λόγου πρὸς] ἐ̣ μὲ καὶ τὸν π̣ [ατ]έ̣ ρα μου περὶ ὧν ἄλ̣ λων | [ὀφείλομέ]ν σοι δανείων̣. (You retaining your claim towards me and my father regarding all other loans that we owe you"). In 5 documents the clause relates to concrete, while in seven others to any past act. The formula is best attested in documents from the third century CE. 3) The same idea, as in the two former groups, that earlier obligations remain unaffected, is expressed through the 'apart from' formulation: IV 1054.15-18 (13 A Alexandria): τοῦτο δʼ ἐστὶν τὸ δάνειον ἐκτὸς | ἑτέρων ὧν ὀφείλει ὁ αὐτὸς Ἀμμώνιος σὺν τῇ μη|τρὶ αὐτοῦ τῷ Ἀπολλωνίῳ καθʼ ἑτέραν συνχώρη[σιν] | δραχμῶν ἑκατόν ("This loan is apart from another hundred drachms which the same Ammonios owes Apollonios together with his wife, by virtue of another synchoresis"), and P.Leid.Inst. 25.10-11 (95/6 ArsN): χωρ̣ ὶς ἄλλω[ν ὧν] | ὀφ<ε>ίλω τῷ αὐτῶι καθʼ ἑτέρας ἀσφαλείας. ("Apart from

Extract from The Taxonomy of the Legal Document, forthcoming

This is one entry of 420 now under preparation towards approaching publication. Any input and com... more

Elenchus Instrumentorum 2(5) Tel Aviv Yiftach

A. U. Yiftach, The Taxonomy of the Legal Document (in preparation), Arrhabon-Clause Among the twe... more A. U. Yiftach, The Taxonomy of the Legal Document (in preparation), Arrhabon-Clause Among the twenty-two documents exhibiting the arrhabon clause, in ten, all dating to the first two centuries CE, the arrhabon is used as the first instalment in the sale of land (4), slaves (3), or grain (1). The clause takes the form of a homologia, in which the vendor acknowledges the immediate receipt of ἀρραβών ἀναπόριφος of the price (ἀπὸ τιμῆς), or the object of sale (in the genitive). Cf., e.g., BGU XI 2111.5-15 (early II CE, Arsinoites): ὁμ[ο]λογ̣ ῶ̣ ἔχιν παρὰ σ̣ οῦ̣ π̣ α̣ ρ̣ α̣ |χρῆμα διὰ χειρὸ̣ ς [ἐ]ξ οἴκου [κ]ε̣ φαλέου (l. κεφαλαίου) | δ̣ ραχμ̣ ὰ̣ ς̣ δ̣ [ια]κοσίας ἀρρ̣ [αβῶν]α ἀναπόρι|φ̣ ον ἀπὸ ἀργυρίου δραχμῶ̣ ν̣ ἑπτακοσίω̣ [ν] | τῆς συνπεφωνημένης τιμῆς <τῆς> ὑπαρ̣ |10χούσης μοι ὠνητῆς παρὰ Ἥρων̣ [ος] | τοῦ Ἥρωνος δούλης.

hypographe sample for academia.pdf

hypographe sample for academia.pdf

Paramone, in Noerr Memorial Session, Munich, 20.2.2019

Handbook of Greek Formulae in Legal Documents from Ptolemaic, Roman and Byzantine Egypt: A Pilot

Immigration, Globalization and the Impact on Private Law. The Case of Legal Documents

As soon as papyri from Egypt started to be excavated, their merit as a source for the study of le... more As soon as papyri from Egypt started to be excavated, their merit as a source for the study of legal history was recognized. Many sources of documentary papyri provide legally relevant information: texts of legislative activity and other collections of regulations, court rulings, and court proceedings, accounts, reports, petitions, letters, all provide precious information that cannot be ignored by anyone attempting at understanding the operation of law in Greco-Roman Egypt. Among these sources, some record certain spheres of legal activity better than others: criminal law and the law of tort are especially well documented in petitions and court proceedings; administrative law in administrative correspondence and decrees; law of persons in collections of regulations, administrative correspondence, applications for admission into certain status groups and others (Bauschatz 2013; for a sourcebook with introductions to these types of legal documents, see Keenan, Manning and Yiftach-Firanko 2014). At the same time, it is primarily the law of contract, or to be more precise, the law of private legal institutions that is best documented on papyrus: parties recorded their contracts in writing, and were naturally interested in keeping this documentation for future reference. This interest resulted in high numbers of contracts among documentary papyri and in archives. People also referred to contractual activity in letters, petitions and court proceedings, thus extending o w acquaintance with this type of legal activity further. We will study here this type of "legal documents"-meaning from now on "all papyri whose purpose of composition was to record a legal act, contractual (loan, lease, etc.) or other (e.g. hereditary dispositions)". We will discuss the legal traditions of the two dominant population groups, Greeks and Egyptians, with due attention to possible interactions and the minor impact of Roman law. We start with the Greek documentation, the largest group (4770 texts), the formulary of which can be followed over more than 900 years, and continue with the Egyptian legal documentation (1383 texts) which survived only for about 400 years since Alexander's conquest. The small

The rise of the flexible template: patterns of change in identification methods between the Ptolemaic and the Roman Period

L'identification des personnes dans les mondes grecs, éd. R. Guicharrousse, P. Ismard, M. Vallet et A.-E. Veïsse, Editions de la Sorbonne, Paris, Forthcoming 2018., 2018

The following paper 1 presents the preliminary results of a survey of different forms of designat... more The following paper 1 presents the preliminary results of a survey of different forms of designation for persons in documentary papyri. For the Ptolemaic period, the survey includes legal documents and lists; our discussion of the Roman period will also include personal notifications, a new type of documentation introduced after 30 BCE. Other documentary genres, in particular petitions and letters, have been left for a future investigation. In this paper, I will (1) posit that, in the Ptolemaic period, there existed both an intricate scheme used for the identification of persons in legal documents, as well as a very simple identification method, consisting of personal name and patronymic, used in lists and reports. I will further demonstrate (2) that the intricate method used in Ptolemaic legal documents was replaced in the Roman period by a new system of identification derived from the simple identification method formerly applied in reports and lists; this system was subsequently developed through the inclusion of additional elements, many of which had already been used sporadically in the Ptolemaic period. Finally, (3) I will argue that, while the identification methods applied throughout the various documentary genres were closely regulated and monitored during the Ptolemaic period, such regulation did not exist in the Roman period; rather, after the introduction of an initial, rudimentary identification format, scribes was allowed to add new identifiers as they saw fit, hence the notion of the 'flexible template'. This type of flexibility is typical of the Roman administrative style.

Horiodeiktes, Fs. Velissaropoulos-Karakostas, Forthcoming

Order and Chaos in Roman Administrative Terminology, in: K. Czajkowski et al. (eds.), Law in the Roman Provinces (currently under review)

While I was preparing this paper, I came across a billboard message that read: "Kayaking and padd... more While I was preparing this paper, I came across a billboard message that read: "Kayaking and paddle-boarding is for everyone." After which the author had added: Young and old, girls and boys, men and women. What is so nice about this message-these days quite common to see-is the emphatic use of all possible categories that comprise the "everyone," and the use of pairs that are intended to be exhaustive for the group in question. 1 Everyone is either young or old, boy or girl if young, and man or woman if adult. The basic idea here is "inclusiveness", which is by no means just a fad concept. Now, you might ask "What does kayaking have to do with law in the Roman Empire?" The answer is simple: one of the means by which the Romans made their empire manageable was the division of its constituent elements-land, persons, types of revenues, types of legal documents, and others-into distinct groups, with a clear preference for the use of allinclusive sub-categories. There is category A, a category B, and sometimes also a category C, and all the features under consideration had to slot into one of these groups, in one way or another.

Law in Ptolemaic and Roman Egypt, in E. M. Harris, M. Canevaro, Oxford Handbook of Ancient Greek Law (Oxford, Forthcoming)

in E.M. Harris and M. Canevaro, The Oxford Handbook of Ancient Greek Law, Oxford.

Elenchus instrumentorum, Tel-Aviv 27-28.11.19, final program

A third meeting of the research group on ancient formulae in ancient documentary texts took place... more A third meeting of the research group on ancient formulae in ancient documentary texts took place at the university of Warsaw last week. My focus was on the paramone clause, and its interaction with other clauses securing the attachment of the employee to the employer. The enclosed paper would allow the reader some overview of the relevant clauses.