ABOUT THIS BOOK

Informal documents and remains of material culture, when analyzed properly, offer a unique window into the daily lives and workings of ancient civilizations. Published here in their archaeological context and with any relevant artifacts, the documents and inscriptions excavated recently in Egypt’s Western Desert represent a valuable addition to our meager documentation of the Bahriya Oasis in the first centuries CE.

This is the first comprehensive treatment of an archaeological dataset from the archaeological exploration of Bīr Shawīsh. Dating to around 400 CE, these primary historical sources include documentary texts written on ostraka, informal inscriptions on various ceramic objects, plus a group of incised lids. The core of the volume consists of an annotated edition and analytical indices. This is prefaced by the historical and archaeological context and is followed by a synthesis of selected issues inherent to the published material. The book includes appendices and pictures of all published objects. Doubling the number of texts and inscriptions published to date from the Small Oasis, this new corpus furthers our understanding of the economic, administrative, and social history of Late Antique Egypt.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Marek Dospěl is an independent scholar and Associate Editor of the Biblical Archaeology Review.

REVIEWS

“Dospěl has done everything possible to further the understanding of his documents, to underline his contribution, and to put it in perspective of cultural, economic, social, religious, administrative and military history. . . . A convenient and up-to-date working tool that will assist critical work by future readers.”
--Jean Gascou, Paris-Sorbonne Université

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contents

Preface and Acknowledgments

Table of Ostraka (O. Bir Shawish)

Table of Inscriptions (I. Bir Shawish)

List of Illustrations

1. Introduction

2.1. Baḥrīya, or the Small Oasis

2.2. The el-Ḥāyz Oasis: The Sites

2.3. Western Travelers and Early Scholars in el-Ḥāyz

2.4. Recent Exploration of el-Ḥāyz

2.5.1. Topography of the site

2.5.2. Dating of the site and House 3

3. Inscribed Material from Bīr Shawīsh

3.1. Archaeological Context of the Inscribed Material

3.2. Notes on Editorial Procedure

I. Accounts (1–2)

II. Certificate (3)

III. Receipts (4–33)

IV. Orders and notes (34–36)

V. Letter (37)

VI. Uncertain texts (38–50)

3.4.1. Dipinti (1–2)

3.4.2. Graffiti (3–10)

3.4.3. Opercula (11–36)

I. Opercula with alphabetical notations (11–12)

II. Opercula with vegetative motifs (13–18)

III. Opercula with geometric motifs (19–29)

V. Opercula with uncertain decoration (31–36)

4.1.1. Regnal or era years

4.1.2. Indiction years

4.2. Commodities and Measures

4.2.1. Grains

4.2.4. Dates

4.2.5. Wine and other vine products

4.2.6. Oil

4.2.7. Cotton and dress

4.2.9. Chickens and eggs

4.2.10. Money and monetary economy

4.3.1. State administration

4.3.2. Local oikos management

4.3.3. Agrophylax, the field-guard

4.4. Personal Names

4.5. Religion

4.6.1. Archaeological remains of the Roman army

4.6.2. Papyrological evidence for the Roman army

5. Late Antique Bīr Shawīsh from a Papyrological Perspective: A Conclusion

1. Concordance of Ostraka by Object Number

2. Concordance of Ostraka by Publication Number

3. Concordance of Inscriptions by Object Number

4. Concordance of Inscriptions by Publication Number

5. Table of All Presented Material according to Archaeological Context

Bibliography

Index of Papyri, Ostraka, and Inscriptions

General Index

1. Chronology

2. Personal Names

8. Money, Weights, and Measures

9. General Index of Greek and Coptic Words

10. Decorative Elements (I. Bir Shawish)

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