P.Mich.inv. 4301: an Introduction  This interactive project is
part of the series Reading the Papyri, a learning resource for
K-12 and college students interested in classical languages and
ancient history. In this project, you will be taking an in-depth
look at a documentary Latin text from the University of Michigan
Papyrus Collection.  Nearly all of the papyri that survive today
come from Egypt, since the region's climatic conditions are
ideal for preservation. Latin texts from Egypt are relatively
rare, as the major languages used in Egypt were Greek, used in
government and among the upper class, and Egyptian, used by the
common people. However, several Latin texts from Egypt do exist,
due mainly to the presence of the Roman army in Egypt. Inventory
number 4301, while not a military document, comes from this
context of the Roman army.  The Fragment  P.Mich.inv 4301
consists of a single fragment, preserving the upper and right-
hand margins of the text. A considerable amount of text to the
left and below ha