This volume presents 455 inscribed pottery fragments, or ostraka,
found during NYU’s excavations at Amheida in the western desert of Egypt. The
majority date to the Late Roman period (3rd to 4th century AD), a time of rapid
social change in Egypt and the ancient Mediterranean generally. Amheida was a
small administrative center, and the full publication of these brief texts
illuminates the role of writing in the daily lives of its inhabitants. The
subjects covered by the Amheida ostraka include the distribution of food, the
administration of wells, the commercial lives of inhabitants, their education,
and other aspects of life neglected in literary sources. The authors provide a
full introduction to the technical aspects of terminology and chronology, while
also situating this important evidence in its historical, social and regional
context.
Online edition available as part of the NYU Library’s Ancient World Digital Library and in partnership with the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World (ISAW).
About the author
Giovanni R. Ruffini is Professor of History and Classical Studies at Fairfield University, where he directs the Ancient Mediterranean Studies Program. His books include Medieval Nubia: A Social and Economic History (Oxford, 2012) and Life in an Egyptian Village in Late Antiquity (Cambridge, 2018).
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