Entwurf und Reinschrift – oder: Wie bitte ich um Entlassung aus der Untersuchungshaft

Abstract

Shortly before the turn of the millennium, Satabus and his son Pisois requested of the praefectus Aegypti C. Turranius that he release them from investigative custody, on the grounds that the charges of homicide brought against them had not been substantiated in two hearings before the ἐπιστάτης τῶν φυλακιτῶν. The petition that records these events is extant in two versions and as such can illuminate aspects of criminal justice in the period of transition from Ptolemaic to Imperial Roman Egypt, but also sheds light on the practice of petitioning itself, especially regarding the great care people took in presenting their requests in form and language. While the rank of the intended recipient undoubtedly factored into the consideration, the weight of the charge must surely have been yet more crucial. Comparing the two versions reveals the amount of attention such a grave charge caused people to devote not only to questions of layout, but also to the conception of the petition’s structure and argument.