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).