Your Day in the Ancient Greek World
November 16
November 16 in ancient Greece is represented in our source-audited archive by one verified record dated 248 BC. The entry below connects this calendar date with its surviving historical evidence and context.
Across the centuries
On This Day
-
248 BC
Life on This Day
Zenon Asks Permission for a Cavalryman to Leave His Post
On November 16, 248 BC, Zenon wrote to Phanias asking that a cavalryman be allowed to leave his post. The man’s father Nikandros had been arrested and the son wanted to sail to Alexandria to appeal for his release. The letter shows that holders of military land grants could need formal permission to be absent.
Sources
Primary evidence
- BGU VI 1297; Berlin Papyrus P. 13999
Modern scholarship
- Berlin Papyrus Database, Object of the Month: Private Letter of Zenon
Public links