Two Demotic Ostraca with Settlements of Masonry and Stones for a Temple Construction

Culture: Egyptian

Period: Roman period, 1st-2nd century A.D.

Material: Limestone

Dimensions: 14 cm x 9 cm (large ostracon), 4.5 cm x 7.6 cm (small ostracon)

Price: 3 200 Euro

Ref: 1581

Provenance: With the registered antiquities dealer S. Moulattan (1917-1977) in Luxor, who had the license number 58 from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. In 1962 Moulattan handed over the ostraca to the Swedish collector John Ingels (1925-2016) – according to the latter as a gift. Thence in the family estate. In 1978 the fragments were studied and translated by the Swedish Egyptologist Sten Wångstedt. With the original translation and collection paper.

Condition: Unrestored

Description: Two limestone ostraca with traces of Demotic inscriptions, which listed settlements of masonry and stones for a temple construction. The large fragment is written on both sides. The flat front has eleven lines, on the back additional eight lines, which are written in a 90-degree angle to the front. The smaller fragment is written with four lines only in the front. The Swedish Egyptologist Sten Valter Wångstedt was able to study the fragments in 1978 in Uppsala and found out that the small fragment recorded settlements of masonry. The large one provides extensive descriptions and even mentions the name of a priest: Amonartis. Wångstedt translates the larger fragment as follows: …priests who join… …priests who count 15 rations… …Sem priests with 30 rations… …totals to 56, each half 28… …priest, who join 72… …to Amonartis one ration…