Using Ostraca in the ancient world : new discoveries and methodologies : [Acte d'une conférence internationale, Heidelberg, 12-14 octobre 2017

Throughout Egypt's long history, pottery sherds and flakes of limestone were commonly used for drawings and short-form texts in a number of languages. These objects are conventionally called ostraca, and thousands of them have been and continue to be discovered. This volume highlights some of the methodologies that have been developed for analyzing the archaeological contexts, material aspects, and textual peculiarities of ostraca. Contents Introduction I Documentation and Interpretation of Ostraca as Archaeological Objects Papyri and Ostraca as Archaeological Objects: The Importance of Context Pottery Sherds for Writing: An Overview of the Practice Photography of Papyri and Ostraca II Cultural Contexts and Practices The Survival of Pharaonic Ostraca: Coincidence or Meaningful Patterns? Greek Literary Ostraca Revisited III Ostraca in Context: Case Studies Hi Aḥuṭab: Aramaic Letter Ostraca from Elephantine Ostraca and Tituli Picti of Samut North and Bi’r Samut (Eastern Desert of Egypt): Some Reflections on Find Location Demotic Ostraca and Their Use in Egyptian Temple Context from the Greco-Roman Period: Soknopaiou Nesos and Hut-Repit “Forgive Me, Because I Could Not Find Papyrus”: The Use and Distribution of Ostraca in Late Antique Western Thebes Contributors Indices