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).