by Markus Kutschka
The land lists provide information about landowners in the Hermopolitan nome who resided in the “Phrouriou Libos” in Hermopolis itself and in the neighboring Antinoopolis. The lists consist of the papyri P.Herm. Landl. 1 (= P.Giss. I 117 = P.Giss.inv. 4 A–H = G) and P.Herm. Landl. 2 (= P.Flor. I 71 = F), which can be dated to the period after around 346/7 AD. The entries are listed alphabetically by the initial letters of the individuals’ names, separately for the two places of residence. Additionally, the pagus (numbered districts), the status as private or state land, and the size in arourae (1 aroura = 2756 m²) are indicated. To distinguish individuals, the father’s name and/or occupation is mentioned.
The papyri record ownership in all pagi except the 7th, as Hermopolis itself presumably lay there and there may have been a separate land list for the city. These papyri allow for inferences about the social structure in Hermopolis in the 4th century AD and the establishment of genealogies, as is the case for Aurelia Charite and the family of Hyperechios, who are also known from other sources. There were many officials and military personnel in the two cities. It can be noted that the majority of the land was private and the number of landowners was very high. The land was extremely unevenly distributed: only four families owned about 36% of the total land, while city dwellers collectively held around 25–30% of the land in Hermopolites. Additionally, most of the land was concentrated around the city of Hermopolis.
Bibliography:
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- A. K. Bowman, Landholding in the Hermopolite Nome in the Fourth Century A.D, JRS 75, 1985, 137–163
- M. Lewuillon-Blume, Enquête sur les registres fonciers (P. Landlisten). Essai sur les titres et professions, CdE 60 Fasc. 119–120, 1985, 138–146
- M. Lewuillon-Blume, Enquête sur les registres fonciers (PLandl.). La repartition de la propriété et les familles de propriétaires, in: B. G. Mandilaras (Hrsg.), Proceedings of the XVIII International Congress of Papyrology. Athens 25–31 May 1986. Volume II (Athen 1988) 279–286
- P. J. Sijpesteijn – K. A. Worp, Zwei Landlisten aus dem Hermupolites (P. Landlisten), Studia Amstelodamensia ad epigraphicam, ius antiquum et papyrologicam pertinentia 7 (Zutphen 1978)