ABSTRACT

The article is devoted to the elementary task of mapping the epigraphic evidence from the Christian Fayoum, which includes funerary inscriptions, monumental dedicatory inscriptions, mural inscriptions and inscriptions on objects of art. In order to make the writing of the history of the Christian Fayoum possible, the author promotes a double process of reintegration: firstly, by tracing back scattered artifacts to their provenance and period of production; and secondly, by combining the archaeological and literary sources available for a particular place or region.

First published in: Gawdat Gabra (ed.), Christianity and Monasticism in the Fayoum Oasis, Cairo/New York: American University in Cairo Press 2005, 79–89.