Prochreia (προχρεία) in Roman Egypt

أحمد, محمد حمدان إبراهيم

doi:10.21608/qarts.2025.410528.2283

Prochreia (προχρεία) in Roman Egypt

Document Type : Original Article

Author

محمد حمدان إبراهيم أحمد

مدرس بقسم التاريخ - كلية الآداب - جامعة جنوب الوادي

10.21608/qarts.2025.410528.2283

Abstract

The term "prochreia" in papyrus documents refers to an advance payment or an interest-free loan. This term was firstly mentioned in an Oxyrhynchus document dating back to 99 AD. In most documents, Prochreia denotes an amount of money received by a debtor from a creditor in exchange for a commitment to work until the debt is repaid. The debtor is not allowed to leave or terminate the contract as long as the debt remains outstanding, and they undertake in a written agreement to continue working until the amount is settled. Prochreia documents are more prevalent in the Oxyrhynchus region compared to other areas.
This research paper explains the meaning of the term "prochreia", whether it refers to an advance payment of wages, a prepayment of wages, or a loan in exchange for work commitment. It also explores the nature of prochreia based on papyrus documents from the second (2^nd) and the third (3^rd) centuries AD, with occasional references to later documents when necessary. In addition, this study discusses the legal characterization of prochreia agreements and their writing methods.

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