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Ostrakon with a Letter from Frange to Enoch

580–640
Not on view
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.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Ostrakon with a Letter from Frange to Enoch
  • Date: 580–640
  • Geography: Made in Byzantine Egypt
  • Culture: Coptic
  • Medium: Pottery fragment with ink inscription
  • Dimensions: 5 13/16 x 4 5/16 in. (14.8 x 11 cm)
  • Classification: Ceramics
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1914
  • Object Number: 14.1.157
  • Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters

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