Ostrakon from the Brethren (?) to John
Ostraca
Ostraca are texts written on broken pottery, which were employed when parchment was unavailable or too expensive. At Epiphanius a large number of ostraca were discovered in the monastery, including in its rubbish heaps; they record biblical verses, legal documents, sermons, financial accounts, school texts, and letters requesting assistance and prayers. Some reveal that, even at the southernmost border of the Empire, people were still aware of events in the capital, Constantinople.
Ostracon from the Brethren (?) to John
Be so kind: thou knowest we have besought thy brothership for the solidus (worth) of linen; hitherto thou hast delayed. Be so kind, give all the money unto John, that the man may come and find it ready, lest the brother be troubled.
Give it unto our brother John; from the brethren.
Ostraca are texts written on broken pottery, which were employed when parchment was unavailable or too expensive. At Epiphanius a large number of ostraca were discovered in the monastery, including in its rubbish heaps; they record biblical verses, legal documents, sermons, financial accounts, school texts, and letters requesting assistance and prayers. Some reveal that, even at the southernmost border of the Empire, people were still aware of events in the capital, Constantinople.
Ostracon from the Brethren (?) to John
Be so kind: thou knowest we have besought thy brothership for the solidus (worth) of linen; hitherto thou hast delayed. Be so kind, give all the money unto John, that the man may come and find it ready, lest the brother be troubled.
Give it unto our brother John; from the brethren.
Artwork Details
- Title: Ostrakon from the Brethren (?) to John
- Date: 580–640
- Geography: Made in Thebes, Byzantine Egypt
- Culture: Coptic
- Medium: Pottery fragment with ink inscription
- Dimensions: 4 7/16 × 3 3/8 × 1/2 in. (11.2 × 8.5 × 1.2 cm)
- Classification: Ceramics
- Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1914
- Object Number: 14.1.52
- Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters
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Coptic
580–640
Coptic
580–640
Coptic
600
Coptic
600
Coptic
600
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