Bag and Contents
Late Period
Not on view
This small bag was found discarded on a rubbish heap outside of a group of Coptic buildings in Sheikh abd el-Qurna. It comprises two layers of linen cloth, the inner one unhemmed and the outer one sewn on three sides with a buttonhole stitch. A 3-ply linen cord was attached to one corner with thread and used, along with a length of 2-ply thread, to tie the bag closed.
Inside were sixteen (16) small objects: 4 oval quartz pebbles, smoothed and flattened on one side; 7 smaller natural pebbles; 1 seed; 1 lump of silver; 1 black glass bead; 1 faience draughtsman; and 1 faience eye amulet. The pebbles, at least, may have been used as weights by a scribe; some scribal equipment (papyrus, pens, and a scribe’s palette - 14.1.393a–j) was found nearby.
Although recorded with material from a nearby tomb originally from the 12th Dynasty (Tomb MMA 804), the bag and its contents have been dated to the Late Period.
