| Artefact ID | 1312 |
| TM ID | - |
| Findspot (DEChriM ID) | 10 (Amḥayda) | Class | Textual |
| Material | Stone |
| Writing medium | Graffito, Inscription |
| Text content | Subliterary |
| Language | Greek, Coptic |
| Description | I.Amheida inv. 3053: Coptic gloss on a pagan inscription Stone block in the middle of which someone has written a Greek verse (from an altar of from the base of a statue); the ink is quite faded. The hexameter reads: "Great Ammon is the pilot of the life of men" (ἀνθρώπων βιότοιο κυβερνήτης μέγας Ἄμμων). Qualified as "A good pagan hexameter line, Greek in expression but deeply rooted in Egyptian thought". Above this line are some faint traces of writing in a much smaller hand, reading etepnoute. This addition is interpreted as a Coptic gloss on the whole inscription, putting forward the view that it is God who is the governor of life, not Ammon. |
| Selection criteria | Christian terms/formulas/concepts, Coptic language |
| Date from | 375 |
| Date to | 399 |
| Dating criteria | Belongs to Amheida's last period of occupation, when the temple was no longer in use as such, but was accessible to Christians who wished to leave a mark of their own religion on the structure. |
| Absolute/relative date | Relative date |
| Archaeological context | Stone block in the temple of Thoth. |
| Accession number | Egypt, Amheida, Temple, inv. 3053 |
ARTEFACT IDENTIFIERS
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