Citation with stable link: Philip A. Harland, 'Anoterites: Marcus the physician writes a letter to family reporting on clashes with Roman soldiers and danger for travellers (third century CE),' Ethnic Relations and Migration in the Ancient World, last modified November 13, 2026, https://philipharland.com/Blog/?p=24250.

Ancient author: Marcus the physician (third century CE), PRossGeorg III 1 (link) = papyri.info (link) = TM 17951.

Comments: This personal letter from a physician (perhaps offering services to the Roman military) to members of his family is fascinating for various reasons, including the fact that he asks his relative to regularly dust off his medical books while he is away on duty. But it is the brief report on the Anoterites that interests us here. This seems to refer to an otherwise unattested indigenous population somewhere in the south of Egypt (see Raj 2006, 149-153).

As the report goes, this population had some significant skirmishes with Roman soldiers from the prefect’s bodyguard, resulting in casualities and making it difficult to safely travel in the area. Although Marcus expressly says very little about this people, and this piece of evidence certainly does not supply ethnographic riches, the overall impression that emerges is of a dangerous population (on which compare characterizations of the Trogodytes in the eastern desert – link). Together with other military reports and inscriptions in this series, this further indicates how impressions about specific indigenous peoples circulated at the local level, potentially being taken on by others and, in some cases, eventually feeding into more substantial literary ethnographic accounts. Strabo himself emphasizes the importance of oral reports from soldiers and other travellers for literary elites composing ethnographic accounts (link).

Works consulted: E. Chepel, “Reflections on Six Private Letters: P.Ross.Georg. 3 1, 9–11, 15, and 18,” Pylon 6 (2024) (link); Marguerite Hirt Raj, Médecins et Malades de l’Egypte romaine: Étude socio-légale de la profession médicale et de ses praticiens du Ier au IVe siècle ap. J.-C. (Brill, 2006), 148-156, 335-338 (with French translation).

Part of a series on military networks and the dissemination of information about peoples:

• Soldiers make a dedication to the god Pan, who rescued them “from Trogodytes” (second or first century BCE; link)
• Military reports on Ethiopians and Trogodytes (first century CE; link)
• Dedication by a military prefect on destruction of the “extremely worthless Agriophagians” (early second century CE; link)
• Military reports on Barbarians in the eastern desert of Egypt (second century CE; link)
• Personal letter by a physician reporting on fighting with the Anoterites (third century CE; link)

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Marcus to Antonia, Sarapion, and Cassianus, my relatives, many greetings. I perform an act of worship for you before the gods who share this temple. It is not possible for anyone to come up to worship because of the (5) fighting of the Anoterites (Anōteritai) which took place against the soldiers. Fifteen soldiers from the selected bodyguard (singulares) [i.e. of the prefect] were killed, not counting those belonging to the legion, the returning veterans (evocati), the wounded, or the incapacitated.

I write to you now, then, so that you urgently send me the sleeveless woolen tunic that was made, in order that I may find it inside my home. (10) Also water the palms three times, as appropriate at this season. Let Cassianus sell, in turn, his arable plots, whatever ones there are. Also let him settle any unfinished business of ours. Let him get a receipt from the Theban as a release from potential claims.

I want you to know that I have not been able to travel to the region where Cassianus is, and I do not know whether the mother of his children has gone away (15) or not. For as he was leaving, Cassianus directed me to write to him regarding the general situation in Kynopolis (?) [several villages or cities by this name are known, one of them in Upper Egypt, i.e. near Thebes mentioned above] and regarding the bread, if it was stolen.

As I write to you in every letter, shake off my medical books, shaking them off and lifting them out of the opening where I left them as I departed.

Also, Apollonios the Blind came to me, (20) saying to me: “Sarapiakos has left the arable plots to your mother for grazing.” If, then, they are for grazing, and if you know that Apollonios the Blind has good intentions, lease the plots to him. If it seems to you that person does not have good intentions, sell all the grain [from the plots, instead of allowing animals to graze (?)].

Say hello to Eudoxia, the wife of Octavius, along with their (25) children; to Valerius, the son of Pasikas; and to Arsenios and everyone, as well as the woman in charge and my sister . . . Say hello to each of them by name. [left margin] Also, say hello to Gaion and to Valerius who sells (?) pitch.

I wish you good health.

Μάρκος Ἀντωνίᾳ καὶ Σαραπίωνι καὶ Κασσιανῷ  | τοῖς μου γονεῦσι ⁦ vac. ? ⁩ πλεῖσ̣τα ⁦ vac. ? ⁩ χαίρειν. ⁦ vac. ? ⁩ | τὸ προσκύνημα ὑμῶν ποιῶ παρὰ τοῖς συννάοις θεοῖς· | οὐ γὰρ εἰσχύει τις ἀναβῆναι προσκυνῆσαι διὰ τὴν γεναμένην || (5) μάχην τῶν ἀνωτεριτων πρὸς  | τοὺς στατιώτας. ἐτελεύτησαν | στρατιῶται ιε ἐκ τῶν σιγγλαρίων χωρὶς τῶν λεγιωναρίων | καὶ τ[ο]υ̣ς ἠβωκατορες καὶ τῶν πεπληγώτων [καὶ] τῶν χαλαστῶ(ν). | νῦν οὖν ὑμ[ῖ]ν γράφω ὅτ[ι] ἐν τάχει ὃ ποιεῖται πέμψατέ μοι | τὸ ἐραιοῦν κολωβειν ἵ\να/ ἐντός μου αὐτ[ὸ] εὕρω. καὶ ὁ φοινικὼν || (10) ποτισθήτω (τρὶς), ὡς ἐν το[ι]ούτῳ καιρῷ, καὶ πωλησάτω τὰς ἀλούρας | ἁτοῦ πάλι, ὅσων ἐκεῖ ἐστιν, \ὁ/ Κασσιανό̣ς̣, καὶ ἐκπλεξάτω πάντα | τὰ με̣τέωρα ἡμῶν, λαβέτω ἀποχὴν ὡς ἀνεγκλησίαν παρὰ | τοῦ Θηβαίου. καὶ γινώσκειν ὑμᾶς θέλω [ὅ]τι οὐκ ἴσχυκα ἀπελθεῖν | εἰς τὰ μέρη Κασσιανοῦ, οὐκ οἶδα εἰ ἐ[ξ]ῆλθε ἡ μήτηρ τῶν παιδίω(ν) || (15) αὐτοῦ ἢ οὔ· καὶ γὰρ ἐξερχόμενος Κα[σ]σιανὸς ἐνετίλατό μοι γρά|ψαι αὐτῷ τὰ περὶ τῆς πολέως Κ̣υνῶγ καὶ ὁ ἄρτος εἰ ἀναρπάζεται. | καὶ ὡς ἐν τῇ κάστῃ ἐπιστολῇ σοι γράφω ἐκτινάξαι μου τὰ ἰατρικὰ | βυβλία, ἐκτίναξον καὶ ἆρον αὐτὰ ἀπὸ τῆς θυρίδος ἃ κατέλιψα | ἐξερχόμενος. καὶ ὁ Ἀπολλώνιος ὁ τυφλὸς ἦλθεν πρὸς ἐμαὶ || (20) λέ[γων μοι ὅ]τι ἐπαφιωκεν Σεραπιακὸς τῇ μητρί σου τὰς ἀλού\ρ/(ας). | ἐὰ[ν οὖν ἦν(?)] ἐπα[φ]εὶς καὶ εἰδῇς τὴν τοῦ Ἀπολλω[νίου] τούτου τοῦ τυ|φλοῦ γνώμην ὅτι εὐγνώμων ἐστὶν, μ̣[ίσ]θωσον αὐτῷ | αὐτὰς, ἐὰν μή σοι ἦν ἐκεῖνος, πλήρης δοῦσα̣[τὸ]ν σεῖτ[ο]ν. | ἀσπά[ζ]ου Εὐδοκεί\α/ν τὴν τοῦ Ὀκταίου συνβίωσ[ι]ν μετὰ τ̣[ῶ]ν || (25) πα̣ι̣δ̣[ίω]ν καὶ Οὐαλέρι[ο]ν τὸν τοῦ Πασικᾶτος καὶ Ἀρσέ|[νιον καὶ] πάντ[ας] καὶ κ̣[υ]ρίαν καὶ τὴν ἀδελφήν μου | [. ca.10.] π̣ά̣[ντας] κατʼ ὄ̣[ν]ομα ἀ[σ]πάζου. | ἀσπάζου καὶ Γαίωνα καὶ Οὐαλέριον τὸν τῆς πίσσης. ἐρρῶσσθαι ὑμᾶς εὔχομαι {ὑμᾶς}.

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Source of translation: Harland.