In a simple declaration of camels from AD 146, the declarant accurately identified himself with his own name and that of his father and grandfather: 'I Stotoetis, son of Stotoetis, grandson of Stotoetis'. This double identification was not always satisfactory. ![]() In Egypt, the system was the same but it was often the master whose name was listed after a personal name. Piece of a pottery dish inscribed with the name of Pericles ('Pericles son of Xanthippus') submitted in a vote to exile him from Athens (Athens, mid-5th century BC): Athens, Agora Museum P 16755 (image courtesy Wikimedia Commons) If someone is called George Harrison, that would have been read as George who is Harry’s son. This practice of recording the person and their father’s name is reflected even in English personal names. On this 2500-year-old pottery sherd, which an Athenian citizen used to vote for Pericles to be exiled from the city, he identified the right Pericles by putting down his name accompanied by Xanthippos, the name of his father. To avoid confusion of people with the same names, people in ancient Greece had their personal name appended with that of their father. ![]() The most obvious identification is to record the individual's name, but this was not as straightforward as one may think. Even in ancient times, there were different ways to ensure that a person acting in a legal case, such as a sale, lease, adoption or inheritance, was who they claimed to be. Identifying people correctly has always been a challenge.
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