Amminon (meris of Themistos)

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Documentation
Amminon ([Amminon) is attested in three documents only: P.Ryl.Gr. II 146 (AD 39), P.Strasb.Gr. IX 807 (AD 98-117) and P.Fay. 38 (2nd-3rd century AD).

Name
The editors of P.Fay. 38 considered 'Amminou' the genitive of a personal name Amminos (e{w" tw'n oJrivwn jEpoikivou legomevnou jAmmivnou - 'as far as the boundaries of the farmstead called that of Amminus'), but no such name is attested. A similar expression in the dative (P.Ryl.Gr. II 146: ejn tw/' peri; Eujhmereiva(n) jEpoikivwi legomevnw/ jAmmivnwi - 'in the farmstead called Sandy in the area of Euhemereia') makes it clear that actually the adjective a[mmino" is used, a variant of yavmmino", meaning of 'sandy' or 'sandy-coloured'. The name therefore probably refers to the sandy character of the area. The word is indeed found in similar topographical contexts: P.Ryl.Gr. II 127 (AD 29, Euhemereia): ejn toi'" ajmmivnoi" ejpoikivou Poplivou kai; Gaivou Petrwnivwn, 'in the sandy area of the farmstead of Publius Petronius and Gaius Petronius', near Dionysias; P.L.Bat. I 15 (2nd century AD, Arsinoites?): uJpo; JIevrako" tou' tw'n ajmminw'(n), 'by Hierax, the man from the sandy area (?)'. In the third document, P.Strasb.Gr. IX 807, the editor supplements [tw'n ajpo; jEpoi]k(ivou) jAmmivnw/ (sic) (read jAmmivnou) (copying the expression used in ll.13 and 21); apparently there was some confusion about the ending of the name here.

Location
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Epoikion Amminon is situated in the meris of Themistos (P.Strasb.Gr. IX 807) and in the area of Euhemereia (P.Ryl.Gr. II 146), which is possibly the place of origin of the three documents mentioning the epoikion. It borders on Taurinou Kome (P.Fay. 38) and has links with Dionysias (P.Strasb.Gr. IX 807), both in the same meris. In AD 39 Amminon was apparently owned by Thermoutharion daughter of Lykarion (P.Ryl.Gr. II 146), which implies that - at least in the beginning - it was a hamlet of Euhemereia rather than a proper village.

Economy
A man from Amminon, no doubt a weaver, was robbed of white wool, a warp (kroke) and a woof (stemon) (P.Ryl.Gr. II 146).

Prosopography
The four persons known for the village, Thermoutharion daughter of Lykarion and the Egyptian Tesenouphis son of Petermouthis. all lived in the Roman period.

Bibliography

H. Verreth, 13 Feb 2003