A new date for the Oxyrhynchite epitome of the Gnomon of the Idios Logos (P.Oxy. XLII 3014)

Abstract

The document known as the Gnomon of the Idios Logos is an abbreviated version of a fiscal rulebook (γνώμων) for the Roman procurator of the Idios Logos in the province of Egypt. This important text is attested in two papyri: a long, well-preserved papyrus from the Arsinoite nome (BGU V 1210) and a small fragment from Oxyrhynchus (P.Oxy. XLII 3014). The former bears a date in the reign of Antoninus Pius, whereas the latter has been dated according to paleographical criteria to the first century CE. This temporal discrepancy has created confusion regarding the nature of the text, which is widely presumed to be a local compilation containing a mix of Roman and Graeco-Egyptian legal material. Through new readings and paleographical parallels, this article redates the Oxyrhynchite text to the reign of Antoninus Pius. That both Gnomon papyri are demonstrably copies of the same Antonine epitome of the rulebook of the Idios Logos, establishes a new basis for interpreting this administrative text, which is a source of unique importance for the legal history of the Roman empire.