literary invention of Sophronius, but Barry Baldwin considers it plausible. A remark by Stephanus of Athens suggests that Gessius was still practising medicine in Alexandria in the 530s. If the physician of the Petra papyrus fragment is the same Gessius, then he was dead by 10 May 538. In the papyrus, which was drawn up in Gaza, he is described as "of learned memory". In light of his friendship with Procopius and Aeneas, a connection with Gaza is reasonable. If the identification is correct, several papyri have a bearing on Gessius' familial relations. References 5th-century births 530s deaths Petra 5th-century Roman physicians Late-Roman-era pagans