Your Day in the Ancient Greek World
November 17
November 17 in ancient Greece is represented in our source-audited archive by one verified record dated 249 BC. The entry below connects this calendar date with its surviving historical evidence and context.
Across the centuries
On This Day
-
249 BC
Life on This Day
An Official Orders Bread Supplied to Prevent Starvation
On November 17, 249 BC, the surviving end of an official Greek letter ordered bread to be supplied to a group of people so that they would not die of hunger. Only the conclusion survives, but the instruction and exact date are explicit.
Sources
Primary evidence
- Papyrus 3020; P.Hib. II 256 = TM 5214
Modern scholarship
- British Library Archives and Manuscripts catalogue
Public links