The Oxyrhynchus Papyri, Part 12

The date of the edict, which was published at some other town than Alexandria, perhaps Babylon (cf. l. 10, n.), is defined, not, as usual, by the consuls or regnal year, but by reference to a local official, who was apparently described as ἔναρχος ἄρχων magistrate currently in office and was an inhabitant of Heliopolis; cf. ll. 11–12, n. The occurrence of Germanicus Maximus among the Emperor’s titles indicates that the edict was not issued earlier than the autumn of A. D. 213. This copy may perhaps be a few years later, but was probably written before the end of the reign. Three other edicts of Caracalla on papyrus are extant in P. Giessen 40, and a rescript by him in P. Flor. 382. i. 5–9. 1406 is perhaps incomplete at the top, and another edict may have preceded.

6. The "b" of "senator" corrected. 11. "Under" in the original, the "u" corrected. 13. This line was an afterthought, as is shown by the deletion of a paragraph mark below line 12.

"Proclamation of the Emperor Caesar Marcus Aurelius Severus Antoninus Parthicus Maximus Britannicus Maximus Germanicus Maximus Pius Augustus.
If a senator strike or censure [in an unseemly manner] the [prytanis] or another senator, he shall be deprived of his rank and set in a position of dishonour. Published at B[abylon?] in the public colonnade, the magistrate in office being Aurelius Alexander son of..., of Heliopolis."

1–4. For the restoration of Caracalla’s titles cf. P. Flor. l. c. (Jan. 216), and e. g. 1278. 31–3 (Dec. 6, 214).
7. An adverb, e. g. "shamefully," probably followed "censure."
9–10. "Shall be set": cf. 1469. 5 "we shall be established." "Shall be established" is rather long, and the verb in lines 8–9 is middle.
10. "At Babylon": the supposed "b" is very doubtful, for the traces suit "k" better; "e" is the only other letter possible. Imperial edicts in papyri usually give the date of publication