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The Cult of Saints in Late Antiquity


from its origins to circa AD 700, across the entire Christian world


Coptic ostracon from Deir el-Bahari (Upper Egypt) with a work contract to produce 24 garments, the scribe of the contract is a monk of the monastery of Apa *Phoibammon (soldier and martyr of Assiut, S00080); datable to the beginning of the 7th century.

Evidence ID

E05998

Type of Evidence

Documentary texts - Other private document

Late antique original manuscripts - Ostracon/Pot-sherd

O.Crum ad. 44

In this contract a man named Ezekias agrees to produce 24 garments.
The reverse of the ostracon reads as follows:

+ ⲁⲛⲟⲕ ⲇⲁⲩ[ⲉⲓⲇ] ⲡⲙⲟⲛⲟⲭⲟⲥ ⲛⲁⲡⲁ ⲫⲟⲓⲃⲁⲙⲱⲛ ⲁⲉⲍⲉⲕⲓⲁⲥ ⲁⲓⲧⲉⲓ ⲙⲙ[ⲟⲓ] ⲁⲓⲥϩⲁⲓ ⲛⲧⲁϭⲓϫ ϩ[ⲛ] ⲥⲟⲩ ⲓϛ ⲙⲙⲉⲥⲟⲩⲣⲉ ⲛⲧⲓ[ⲣⲟⲙ]ⲡⲉ
ⲙⲡⲉⲙⲧⲏⲥ ⲓⲛⲇ(ⲓⲕⲧⲓⲟⲛⲟⲥ) ⲁⲩⲱ ϯⲟ ⲙⲙ[ⲛ]ⲧⲣⲉ

'I, David, the monk of Apa Phoibammon, Ezekias has asked me and I have written with my own hand on day 16 of (the month) Mesore, in this year of the fifth indiction. I also act as a witness.'


(Text: W. E. Crum; trans.: G. Schenke)

Cult Places

Cult building - monastic

Places Named after Saint

Monastery

Source

The ostracon belongs to the Institute for Egyptology at Strasbourg, inv. 675.


Bibliography

Text and translation:
Crum, W.E., Coptic Ostraca from the Collections of the Egypt Exploration Fund (London, 1902), pp. 33 and 97. = O.Crum

German translation:
Till, W.C., Die Koptischen Rechtsurkunden aus Theben (Vienna, 1964), 72.


Record Created By

Gesa Schenke

Date of Entry

5/8/2018

Related Saint Records
IDNameName in SourceIdentity
S00080Phoibammon, soldier and martyr of Assiutⲁⲡⲁ ⲫⲟⲓⲃⲁⲙⲱⲛCertain


Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
Gesa Schenke, Cult of Saints, E05998 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E05998