Because everyone needed some salt, the salt-tax that was introduced in the reign of Ptolemy II was effectively a poll-tax, and for its administration it was necessary to compile a comprehensive register of all tax-paying adults. Some parts of this register were written in Greek, and other parts were written in the demotic script.
The demotic list which is translated here, although it is very fragmentary, is of particular interest because it records the age of some individuals. This means, for instance, that it contains a bit of information about the age differences between husbands and wives; on this subject, see the comments of S. van Gompel, in "Compulsion and Control in Ancient Egypt", p. 211 ( Google Books ). An analysis of what the list tells us about the composition of households, together with some interesting excerpts from an unpublished household survey dated about 180 B.C., is provided by D.J. Thompson, in "Households in Context: Dwelling in Ptolemaic and Roman Egypt", pp.134-138 ( Google Books ).
The translation is taken from W. Clarysse & D.J. Thompson, "Counting the People in Hellenistic Egypt", vol. 1, pp.239-247 ( Google Books ). The word 'exact', which appears in front of some entries, "is a genuine check-mark, which signifies that the entry is correct." The meaning of the ∠ symbol is less certain.
* * *
| . . | ||
| The shrine of Anoubis | ||
| ∠ | Hetpanoubis son of Teos, the man of Anoubis, 41 years | |
| ∠ | Ta-ir-ou his wife, 46 years | |
| 5 | exact | Tamounis his daughter, 20 years ; total 3, of whom 1 male, through (?) Inaros |
| The house of Andromachos the 25-aroura man | ||
| Taues his wife ; total 2, of whom 1 male | ||
| The house of Ptolemaios, the 100-aroura man | ||
| Mys (?), the one without (?) fields | ||
| 10 | ∠ | Tasis his wife |
| Dorion his son | ||
| ∠ | Tasis his wife ; total 4, of whom 2 male | |
| exact | The house of Philippos, the one without (?) fields | |
| . . | Kallo (?) his wife | |
| 15 | Dionysodotos his son ; total 3, of whom 2 male | |
| ∠ | The house of Imouthes son of Marres, [the scribe] of the army, 36 years | |
| ∠ | Senyris his wife, 31 years ; total 2, of whom 1 male | |
| ∠ | Tryphon (?), the veteran, Year 35 .. | |
| ∠ | Philotera his daughter | |
| 20 | Demetrios his son, . . . [; total 3, of whom 2 male] | |
| The house of Teos son of Imouthes, the scribe of the army, 41 years | ||
| Esoeris his wife, 29 years ; total 2, of whom 1 male | ||
| . . . | ||
| ∠ | Aousech his son, 35 years | |
| ∠ | Haynchis his wife, 30 years | |
| 25 | ∠ | Psen-Mhy his brother (?), 21 years ; total 4, of whom 3 male |
| ∠ | Antigenes, the veteran soldier xxx | |
| ∠ | Kallo his wife ; total 2, of whom 1 male | |
| ∠ | Demetrios, the veteran soldier xxx ; total 1 | |
| ∠ | Thatres, daughter of Pasis, ẖ-rmt xxx ; total 1 female | |
| 30 | . . | . . . |
| . . | ...ion, her daughter ; total 2 female | |
| ∠ | The house of Simon, the oculist | |
| ∠ | Htytȝ his mother | |
| ∠ | Melas his servant | |
| 35 | ∠ | Theophile his wife ; total 4, of whom 2 male |
| ∠ | The house of Protomachos, the 25-aroura man | |
| ∠ | Demetria his wife | |
| exact? ∠ | Sopatros his son | |
| Tryphaina his daughter ; total 4, of whom 2 male | ||
| 40 | ∠ | Haynchis, daughter of Paues, ẖ-rmt xxx ; total 1 female |
| ∠ | The house of Petobastis, son of Pais, the . . ., 49 years | |
| ∠ | Tasis his wife, 46 years | |
| ∠ | Pasis his son, 19 years | |
| ∠ | Tasis his daughter, 20 years ; total 4, of whom 2 male |
* * *
| ∠ | Taues his mother , 81 years | |
| 65 | ∠ | Es... (?) his sister, 61 years |
| ∠ | Panomieus his (?) brother, 20 years ; total 5, [ of whom 2 male ] | |
| X | The house of Euboulos, the [ 25-aroura ] man (?) | |
| Nikias , the one without (?) fields (?) . . . | ||
| ∠ | Herakleia his wife . . . | |
| 70 | exact | Haynchis his nurse [ ; total 3 , of whom 1 male] |
| ∠ | Senamounis daughter of Imouthes ẖ-rmt xxx | |
| ∠ | Tasis, her daughter, 3. [years ; total 2 females] | |
| . . | The house of Teos son of Teos, the man . . . | |
| . . | Ta-h... . . . | |
| 75 | . . | . . . his son (?) 25 years |
| ∠ | Timouthis . . . |
| . . | ...sisouchos the farmer | |
| . . | ...mn son of Paues, the priest | |
| 80 | . . | . . . his sister ; total 4, of whom 2 male |
| . . | . . . son of Marre-shel | |
| . . | . . ., the hunter | |
| . . | . . . . . . total 2, of whom 1 male | |
| . . | . . . Marres the policeman | |
| 85 | . . | . . . |
| . . | . . . ẖ-rmt | |
| . . | . . . | |
| . . | . . . . . . ; total 5, of whom 3 male | |
| . . | . . . |
| 90 | / ∠ | The house of Philippos (?) . . . |
| / ∠ | Tasis his wife | |
| / ∠ | Ptolemaios his . . . | |
| / | . . . his wife ; total 4, of whom 2 male | |
| The house of Sokmenis son of Petosiris | ||
| 95 | / ∠ | Chaonnophris son of Onnophris ẖ-rmt |
| / ∠ | Tinachtis (?) his wife ; total 2, of whom 1 male | |
| / ∠ | The house of . . . son of Petosiris . . . | |
| X | . . . |
| . . . | ||
| 100 | The house of Asklepiades (?), the 25-aroura man | |
| Sarapias his wife | ||
| [total] 2, of whom 1 male | ||
| The house of Herodes (?), the . . . | ||
| Stotoetis son of Marres, the policeman | ||
| 105 | 1 | |
| The house of Petechonsis, the farmer (?) | ||
| Esoeris his wife | ||
| Ptolemaios his son ; total 3, of whom 2 male | ||
| The house of Petesouchos son of Pasis, the farmer . . | ||
| 110 | Tbokis (?) his wife, 30 years (?) | |
| Haryotes (?) his son | ||
| . . . ; total 4, of whom 2 male |
Attalus' home page | 06.05.25 | Any comments?