Marriage Contracts

Marriage Contract
P. Mich. Inv. 508
From Philadelphia in Egypt
This marriage contract, in Latin with additions in Greek, records the rather grand dowry given by Nomissianus to his daughter upon her marriage. The full text lists additional gifts of real estate, a slave, and jewelry. This contract was written in the later 2nd century A.D.

...Nomissianus [in accordance with the Julian law], which has [been] enacted concerning marriage arrangements, has given his maiden daughter [Zenarion] in marriage for the sake [of begetting children] and M. Petronius Servillius [has taken her as his wife]; and to him [he has promised and has given by way of dowry everything that is written below for] the same above-mentioned [daughter]: of land inherited from his father near the village of Philadelphia, [two and one-half] and one-quarter iugera of catoecic land in the place Cor[..., and in] the same village, [three and a half iugera] of sandy land inherited from his father, [for the half... ] used as vine land; and in gold objects a very long earring [of the weight of] two and one-half quarters and some necklaces of the weight of one and one-half quarters, total 4 quarters, and one pair of [silver] ... 7 staters in weight, and in clothing by valuation a tunic and a light mantle and a Syrian cloak for the value of 430 Augustan drachmai, and a Heratianon, and a striped garment, and a bronze Venus and a bronze flask [of the value] of 48 Augustan drachmai, and a mirror and a chest... and two oil flasks and another flask in weight 7 1/4 minae, and a small wooden box, an easy chair, a perfume box, a basket, and the paternal slave Heraida, and as additional gifts, a tunic and old light mantle. Likewise M. Petronius Servillius also said that he himself had contributed as dowry gifts of his own two paternal iugera of grain land located near the village [of Philadelphia] in the place...