Posted on 03/07/2014 12:05:46 PM PST by Red Badger
A newly deciphered letter home dating back around 1,800 years reveals the pleas of a young Egyptian soldier named Aurelius Polion who was serving, probably as a volunteer, in a Roman legion in Europe.
In the letter, written mainly in Greek, Polion tells his family that he is desperate to hear from them and that he is going to request leave to make the long journey home to see them.
Addressed to his mother (a bread seller), sister and brother, part of it reads: "I pray that you are in good health night and day, and I always make obeisance before all the gods on your behalf. I do not cease writing to you, but you do not have me in mind," it reads. [In Photos: Gladiators of the Roman Empire]
"I am worried about you because although you received letters from me often, you never wrote back to me so that I may know how you ..." (Part of the letter hasn't survived.)
Polion says he has written six letters to his family without response, suggesting some sort of family tensions.
"While away in Pannonia I sent (letters) to you, but you treat me so as a stranger," he writes. "I shall obtain leave from the consular (commander), and I shall come to you so that you may know that I am your brother …"
Found in an ancient Egyptian town
The letter was found outside a temple in the Egyptian town of Tebtunis more than a century ago by an archaeological expedition led by Bernard Grenfell and Arthur Hunt. They found numerous papyri in the town and did not have time to translate all of them.
(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...
Overrated. Biochemically no different than eating large quantities of chocolate.
Lots of Greeks in Egypt after Alexander. Cleopatra of the Ptolemys was the most famous.
A soldier’s lot hasn’t changed much down through the ages, does it?
Even worse!
Perhaps a bit less fattening...
Sheeesh! And I thought my grandfather’s WW II V-Mails were hard to read!
HE DID!!!!!
From the article, near the end:
“He may have volunteered and left Egypt without knowing where he would be assigned,” writes Adamson in the journal article. According to the translation, Polion sent the letter to a military veteran who could forward it to his family.
I felt the same way when I was in........................a little while later................
That’s why the French Foreign Legion says people join to forget..........................
I reads :
“. Although the Roman Empire had a military postal system, Polion appears not to have used it, entrusting the veteran instead.”
According to Post #7:
Pannonia largely corresponds to what today called Hungary.
So, he was a Hungarian. Greek must have been the lingua franca of the day...............
Six letters previous went unanswered, the eistent postal system wasn’t working. So he thought that by sending the letter with a veteran, perhaps going home on leave or retiring, he could be more likely for it to reach home. I guess it didn’t...............
How very topical. Plus ca change !
I knew somebody would spot it. Good job.
Probably complaining about the MRE’s...
“Greek must have been the lingua franca of the day...............”
The language of trade in the Eastern Med was “Koine” (sp?) which was a form of Greek. Basically the language of commerce that followed the path of Alexander’s Armies.
It was indeed; Greek was then more widely spoken than even Latin, especially in the Middle East. The Septuagint was the Hebrew Scriptures translated into Greek before the time of Christ, and his apostles chose it as the lingua franca to spread the Gospel message to non-Jews in the region.
Pannonia corresponds roughly to western Hungary plus a bit of eastern Austria, eastern Slovenia, and eastern Croatia.
Greek was widely used in the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire. Paul was able to travel from city to city in Asia Minor and speak to the locals in Greek. There were a lot of Greek-speakers in Egypt, both in Alexandria and in some cities elsewhere in Egypt.
My detailer guaranteed me duty on the French Riviera if I re-upped and here I am up to my butt in mud in this godforsaken place...
Hello Muddah, hello Fadduh,
Here I am at Camp Gaul
Camp is very entertaining
and they say we’ll have some fun if it stops raining.
I went hiking with Cassius
He developed poison ivy
You remember Brutas
He got ptomaine poisoning last night after dinner.
All the soldiers hate the slaves
And the lake has alligators
And the head Roman soldier wants no sissies
So he reads to us from something called Ulysses.
Now I don’t want this should scare ya
But my bunkmate has malaria
You remember Augustas
They’re about to organize a searching party.
Take me home, oh muddah fadduh, take me home, I hate Gaul
Don’t leave me out in the forest where I might get eaten by a bear.
Take me home, I promise I will not make noise or mess the house with other boys, oh please don’t make me stay, I’ve been here one whole day.
Dearest fadduh, darling muddah,
How’s my precious little bruddah?
Let me come home if ya miss me
I will even let Aunt Agrippina hug and kiss me.
Wait a minute, it stopped hailing,
Guys are swimming, guys are sailing,
Playing Harpustum gee that’s better,
Muddah Fadduh please disregard this letter.
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