The Agents of Hathor in P.Tor.Botti and the Ptolemaic Temple of Deir el-Medina

Found inside the jars containing the archive of Totoês, P.Tor.Botti 34 A, 34 B+C, 35 and 36 were wrapped together. Transliteration and translation are provided for the body of their texts, as well as of the relevant P.Tor.Botti 40, then an explanation is given for the reason why they were rolled together: these papyri attest the agreements taken in the year 100 BC between the elders of the priests of the sanctuary of Hathor in Deir el-Medina and the three sons of Chestephnachthês (B), which bore the title of “agents of Hathor”. They collected the income of the temple, paid the priests their due, managed both ordinary and extra charges and kept the account book of the sanctuary. The amount of 17 talents mentioned in P.Tor.Botti 34 A could eventually suggest Chestephnachthês (B)ʼs family responsibility for building or decorating the “mammisi” or the temple portal in Deir el-Medina.