Aphrodites Berenikes Polis (Meris of Herakleides)

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Documentation
Aphrodites Berenikes Polis occurs 144 times in 70 texts. The earliest attestations of the village date from ca. 230-224 (P.Petrie III 66a), probably few years after it was founded. Several references are found in some 2nd century sitologoi accounts among the Tebtynis papyri. But more than half of our references come from a group of tax documents dating to the period AD 70-110, and listing private properties in the northern part of the meris of Herakleides (CPR VIII + P.Vindob Tandem). Around that same period L.Bellienus Gemellus probably lived in Aphrodites polis, though most of his land was in Euhemeria, in the meris of Themistos. There is a gap in the documentation after AD 314 (PSI VII 820); the village reemerges in the sixth and seventh centuries under the name Aphrodito.
Though Aphrodites Berenikes polis was not far from Philadelpheia the references to Aphrodites polis in the Zenon archive rather point to Aphrodites polis / Atfih on the other side of the Nile. Probably therefore Aphrodites Berenikes polis was a relatively recent foundation in honour of the reigning queen Berenike II [Otto-Bengtson 1937, p.74 n.1; Tondriau 1948, p.21; Fraser 1972, p.240].

Name
The full name of the village shows that it is called after a divinised queen Berenike, who is identified with the goddess Aphrodite. The name is often shortened to Aphrodites polis. The full name Aphrodites Berenikes polis is frequent in the Ptolemaic period; it is last attested in AD 168 (Stud. Pal. XX 50). The shortened form is already found in 198 BC (P.Tebt. III 1038), but remains exceptional until the Roman period. In the sixth-seventh century AD the name is further shortened to Aphrodito. This is apparently the only form used then, though in most documents of that period it is abbreviated into Aphrodit( ). The loss of the genitive leading to a rare form Aphrodite polis (P.Grenf. II 61) may have been the first step in that direction.
The identity of Aphrodites Berenikes polis and Aphrodites polis is beyond doubt. Both are situated in the neighbourhood of Boubastos, Letous polis and Psenhyris, in the meris of Herakleides. In SB XXII 15590 the village is called three times with its full name (ll.1, 11, 14-15) and once apparently in the shortened form (ll.5-6). In AD 18/19 L. Bellienus Gemellus makes a contract in Aphrodites Berenikes polis (Stud. Pal. IV, pp.116-117), whereas in P.Vind. Tand. 14 l.38 he acts as an intermediary for payments in Psenhyris, Aphrodites polis and Arabon kome. In several cases, however, it remains impossible to distinguish this village from the homonymous village in the meris of Polemon; these uncertain cases have been grouped separately in the database and have not been taken into account in the discussion.

Location
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Aphrodites polis was situated in the meris of Herakleides. The presence of desert police in P.Teb. III 856 perhaps points to the proximity of the desert. The village is closely linked with Boubastos and Psenhyris, and in the second instance with Andrianton, Arabon kome (see also P.Petaus 40 l.4), Letous polis, Neilou polis and Sebennytos. This is clear from several sitologoi accounts, e.g. P.Teb. III 852, 853, 856 and 1022 (Aphrodites Berenikes polis) and P.Teb. III 1038, 1065, SB XIV 11426 (Aphrodites polis) and from the lists of landowners in P.Vind.Tand. and CPR VIII (always the short form Aphrodites polis). The spread of land-ownership of orchards and/or vineyards over neighbouring villages in this group of texts is illustrated by the following chart:

Aphrodites Polis Psenhyris Boubastos Andriantes Sebennytos Ptol. Arabon Letous Polis
CPR VIII 1.19-22
x
x
CPR VIII 1.35-41
P.Vindob.Tandem 15.83
x
x
x
x
x
CPR VIII 2.65-69
x
x
x
CPR VIII 2.84-85
x
CPR VIII 2.111-112
x
CPR VIII 2.113-114
x
x
CPR VIII 4.15
x
P.Vindob.Tandem 13a.13-16
x
P.Vindob.Tandem 14 3-5
x
P.Vindob.Tandem 14.8
x
P.Vindob.Tandem 14.37-40
x
x
P.Vindob.Tandem 14.55-56
x
P.Vindob.Tandem 14.72-74
x
P.Vindob.Tandem 14.79-80
x
P.Vindob.Tandem 15.96-98
x
x
Total:
7
6
4
3
3
2

Population and Land
There was a cleruchic settlement in the second century BC [Uebel 1968, p. 48]. The hundred arourae cavalry man Dioskourides son of Eumolpos is a vineyard owner. In the same period other kleroi were owned by Alkimenes and no doubt by Bion son of Ptolemaios and the women Hermione, Chelidon and Soteira (SB XXII 15590). In 174 BC a vineyard is sold between Egyptians (Auphmoys and Esersythis). The money taxes in CPR VIII and P.Vindob. Tandem suggest garden or vineyard lands spread over many owners, nearly all of them with Greek names and including a large percentage of women (Alkime, Didymarion, Didyme, Erotion, Heraïs, Heroïs, Isidora, Longina, Theano etc.).

Economy
Agriculture in the village is attested through landownership (see above). There were vineyards, a palm grove and paradeisoi. Wine is also mentioned in PSI VII 820. Around 225 BC the oil merchant Pasis son of Pasis was also selling in neighbouring Letous polis (P.Petrie III 66).

Administration
Only once is the village called a kome (P.Gen. I 81); a komogrammateus occurs in P.Tebt. III 934, though his name is lost. Policemen and desert-police are attested in P.Tebt. III 856.
In the Ptolemaic period payments are made to the granary of Aphrodites polis, including one for neighbouring Boubastos (P.Teb. III 853 and 856). A notarial office (grapheion) is functioning AD 168/169 (Stud. Pal. XX 50).

Bibliography

W. Clarysse21 Jan, 2003