Letter from an administrator to the altar of Herakles and the Nemeses

“To Paniskos, kinsman (of the king) and strategos and director of revenues, from Harthotes son of —, administrator of the altar of Herakles and the Nemeses, the very great gods, [in —?], which has stood from ancient times. Ten arouras of sacred land have been consecrated to the altar, from which in former times one artaba was collected by the royal treasury for each aroura of sown land. But in place of this, after some time an additional half-artaba per aroura has been collected in addition, and although I have been very diligent in my payments up to the present and have measured out to the treasury the appropriate amount for the area sown in the present year, which was determined on the basis of inspection to be 7 arouras, namely 10 ½ artabas of wheat and the additional expenses allocated on top of them, for the erection of a processional way, by those locally in charge of the collection of taxes, Sotas son of Pechauros and Sotas son of Polykrates, I am having demanded of me per aroura yet another artaba of wheat…” – BGU XIV 2375