ABSTRACT
In the late nineteenth century, a manuscript containing a late antique travel report was found by the Italian scholar Gian Francesco Gamurrini in the renowned abbey of Montecassino, where it had lain undiscovered for the last 700 years. Since its discovery, plenty of hypotheses have been formed with regard to the name and identity of the author as well as to the actual date of the pilgrimage. Little is known about the people accompanying Egeria on her long journey to the Holy Land. Next to the biblical places, Egeria’s most important destinations consisted of monasteries and monks living in cells throughout Palestine. In addition to the conversations with monks, these men also serve as her personal guides to most of the historical and biblical sites on her way. There is something odd about Egeria’s depiction of the holy people in general.
