Children in monastic families in Egypt at the end of Antiquity

Among the more interesting inhabitants of the monasteries of Byzantine Egypt are, no doubt, the children.1 Children grew up, were educated and became adults within monastic communities. Some were accompanied by their parents, while others were left alone, but – as we will see – the reason for their presence in the monastery is often unclear. For many children, life with the monks offered safety and an improved standard of living, but there are a number of cases which suggest that conditions did not always improve for children, since they were obliged to be workers or slaves of the monks.