Ostrakon with a Letter from Frange to Enoch

Unknown

580–640 · Pottery fragment with ink inscription · Medieval Art

This ostrakon (plural ostraka, pottery sherd with writing) comes from the Monastery of Epiphanios, in Thebes, Egypt. It provides valuable information about some of the everyday economic activities at the site. The fragment here includes a letter in Coptic from the weaver Frange, who requests linen yarn from Brother Enoch at the monastery. Linen was one of the most ubiquitous textiles made in late antique Egypt, used both for daily wear and for burial.

Artist

Unknown

Date

580–640

Medium

Pottery fragment with ink inscription

Culture

Coptic

Department

Medieval Art

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1914