Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Inscriptions, Greek Egypt History'

La présente thèse de doctorat est consacrée à l'étude d'un lot de papyrus conservés aux Musées Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire de Bruxelles. La plupart de ces textes proviennent du monastère d'apa Apollô de Baouît en Moyenne-Égypte.

L'introduction s'attache à retracer la genèse du lot et se conclut par un inventaire des papyrus qui peuvent lui être attribués.

Un premier chapitre présente le monastère de Baouît (sources, le fondateur, le site monastique et son histoire, les moines, l'organisation, la place du monastère dans le contexte régional).

Le deuxième chapitre est consacré aux textes documentaires du monastère de Baouît. Différents thèmes sont ensuite abordés: les supports de l'écriture, la paléographie, l'usage des langues (grec et copte), les particularités linguistiques et l'apport des textes édités.

Les 100 papyrus publiés sont répartis dans les sections suivantes: 1. ordres de l'administration monastique, 2. ordres de paiements; 3. comptes et listes; 4. reçus; 5. contrats de prêt; 6. autres contrats; 7. lettres; 8. protocoles; 9. varia; 10. annexe. Divers tableaux et annexes complètent les éditions.

Un dernier chapitre traite des activités économiques du monastère de Baouît (sources, patrimoine, productions, revenus et dépenses).

Doctorat en philosophie et lettres, Orientation langue et littérature
info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

My work is a socio-historical study of the institution of the gymnasium in Egypt, of its evolution and role in the assertion of certain aspects of ‘Greek identity’ in Ptolemaic and early Roman times. It is divided into four sections. (1) Attention is devoted to the study of the gymnasium itself, as institution, analysing its diffusion, foundation, internal organisation and the role played by associations which were hosted therein. The constitution and the characteristics of the governing body (with special attention to the role of the gymnasiarchs) and the financial matters relevant to the gymnasium allow one to draw conclusions on its legal status and social role: it is shown how the gymnasium of Egypt operated in a completely different way from the traditional one which is normally assumed for the Greek poleis, especially of mainland Greece and above all Athens. A possible model of influence is suggested. (2) Starting from the rules of admission into the gymnasium and from the treatment of the outsiders, the social status and social composition of the members of the gymnasium are object of enquiry, focusing on the links with the army and the public administration. It is argued that the gymnasial community should be considered as a complex reality, formed by different components belonging to various levels of the social strata. (3) Educational, religious and recreational activities carried out in the premises of the gymnasium or strictly connected to it are taken into account to give an idea of the ‘daily life’ of the institution and of the ‘behaviour’ of its people, which was likely to be the result of a feeling of ‘shared identity’. (4) The concluding section draws the attention to the issue of identity of the people of the gymnasium more clearly: relation with the ‘others’ and idea of Greekness the people of the gymnasium had about themselves (influenced by the rulers’ policies), access to gymnasia, onomastics, elite classes, mixed marriages, reception of Egyptian burial methods and cults, advantage of ‘going Greek’. It is argued that, although having in the gymnasium the key-element for the assertion of their identity and status of Hellenes, the ‘Greeks’ of Egypt displayed complex patterns of mixed identities and were thoroughly embedded in the social, cultural, religious, and administrative environment of Egypt.

Elite self-presentation through the biographical genre is a defining element of ancient Egyptian high culture from the Old Kingdom until the Roman period. My thesis centres on the biographical texts produced during the Ramessid period (c. 1280-1070 BCE), a time of significant change in elite domains of representation. Since biography has not been seen as a significant genre of this period, these texts, which are inscribed on statues, stelae, temple walls, and in tombs, have not been gathered together or studied as a corpus. Yet they are a key to exploring the diverse and highly individual ways in which a self could be fashioned and presented. I take a holistic approach to the interpretation of these texts, in order to examine the ways in which they were incorporated into their spatial and visual settings and could extend beyond them. My introduction sets out my aims and the broader anthropological framework which I apply to the Egyptian sources. The following four chapters are case-studies. Chapters two to four are organised according to site (Thebes and el-Mashayikh, Karnak, and Abydos), comparing strategies of self-presentation in tomb and temple contexts. The fourth is thematically oriented, and looks at the image and role of the king in non-royal biographies. In the final chapter, I draw together the results of my individual case-studies, discussing their common textual themes, the interplays of traditional and innovative motifs within them, as well as the implications of their diverse monumental contexts. I hope to demonstrate that the holistic approach I apply is relevant for the study of monumental discourse in other periods in Egyptian history and has the potential to locate the Egyptian material within broader frameworks for the study of premodern societies.

This thesis provides a detailed interpretation of three key texts described in Egyptological research as "coronation inscriptions:" the Historical Inscription of Hatshepsut, Thutmose III's Texte de la jeunesse, and Horemheb's Turin inscription. Similarities and differences between these texts, as well as other sources, both textual and pictorial, are discussed. A clear terminology is laid out, distinguishing between accession (the royal heir becoming king at the death of their predecessor), crowning (the action of placing the crowns on the new king's head), and coronation ceremony (following the accession by some time on which occasion the new ruler would have been bestowed with the crowns and regalia of his office, perhaps for the first time). The main aim of this thesis is to determine whether it would be accurate to label the discussed texts as coronation inscriptions and, if not, how they can best be described. It is determined that the evidence supports the earlier conclusion reached by Redford, that it would be incorrect to speak of a “coronation ceremony” in the dynastic period, for new kings would have been crowned at their accessions in a palace setting, soon after the death of their predecessors, this followed some time later by a public “appearance ceremony” in a temple festival setting. While it is determined that Thutmose III's inscription describes the time when kingship was predicted to him, it is concluded that the Hatshepsut and Horemheb texts narrate exceptional events on which occasion their accessions in a palace and public "appearance ceremonies" intersected.

Between the fourth and the seventh centuries CE, Christian patrons erected thousands of churches, chapels, and monasteries in cities and villages across the Mediterranean, decorating the apses, walls and floors of many of these structures with figural and geometric mosaics. These late antique Christian mosaics have been studied for their iconography, their Graeco-Roman components, and as evidence for the religious beliefs of newly-Christian patrons. However, art historians largely have ignored the ways that texts, inscribed within the visual field and composed of the same mosaic material, functioned as images in Christian spaces. For the first time, this thesis assembles the foundations of a comprehensive catalogue of early Christian mosaic inscriptions, places them back into the physical spaces in which they were meant to be read, and analyzes how these texts functioned both verbally and visually for the late antique reader/viewer, against the backdrop of Graeco-Roman traditions. I first examine the ekphrastic components of Christian inscriptions and look more closely at the different ways in which texts work with and against images and spaces, encouraging the viewer to react physically and mentally. Second, I study the language of light used by the inscriptions, and argue that this language linked text to the material of mosaic and enabled patrons to make complex statements about their cultural erudition and religious affiliation. Third, I investigate the functions and visual forms of short tituli which label scenes or name figures to simplify, authenticate or transform static images into narratives in motion. Finally, I turn to the frames of the inscriptions and contend that different forms conveyed powerful visual arguments. By writing these texts back into their mosaics, this thesis argues that texts and images were inseparable in the period, and that text written into images performed and played in more complex ways than has been previously thought.

"Based on the thesis submitted by the author for the degree 'Doctor of Philosophy' to the Senate of Hebrew University, Jerusalem, in 1976"--P. viii.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 265-275) and indexes.

The aim of this thesis is to approach Ptolemaic and Imperial royal sculpture in Egypt dating between 300 BC and AD 220 (the reigns of Ptolemy I and Caracalla) from a contextual point of view. To collect together the statuary items (recognised as statues, statue heads and fragments, and inscribed bases and plinths) that are identifiably royal and have a secure archaeological context, that is a secure find spot or a recoverable provenance, within Egypt. I then used this material, alongside other types of evidence such as textual sources and numismatic material, to consider the distribution, style, placement, and functions of the royal statues, and to answer the primary questions of where were these statues located? what was the relationship between statue, especially statue style, and placement? And what changes can be identified between Ptolemaic and Imperial royal sculpture? From analysis of the sculptural evidence, this thesis was able to create a catalogue of 103 entries composed of 157 statuary items, and use this to identify the different styles of royal statues that existed in Ptolemaic and Imperial Egypt and the primary spaces for the placement of such imagery, namely religious and urban space. The results of this thesis, based on the available evidence, was the identification of a division between sculptural style and context regarding the royal statues, with Egyptian-style material being placed in Egyptian contexts, Greek-style material in Greek, and Imperial-style statues associated with classical contexts. The functions of the statues appear to have also typically been closely related to statue style and placement. Many of the statues were often directly associated with their location, meaning they were an intrinsic part of the function and appearance of the context they occupied, as well as acting as representations of the monarchs. Primarily, the royal statues acted as a way to establish and maintain communication between different groups in Egypt.

This thesis studies how three Greek writers differentiate between each other in their texts about ancient Egypt. The three writers included in this thesis are Herodotus, Diodorus Siculus and Plutarch. Their texts describe Egypt and its many aspects, and the names of their texts are as following; Histories and Library of History by Herodotus and Diodorus, and De Herodoti malignitate, De Iside et Osiride and Placita Philosophorum by Plutarch.        This thesis is comparing these writers with each other using two case studies; The Nile and Egyptian cleanness for their gods. The case studies were chosen to limit this thesis upon two aspects of Egypt that the writers should have encountered if they went to Egypt. This brings a theory to light; if the writers' texts are truthfully representing Egypt or if their texts are nothing but literature constructions. This thesis is also looking at how Egyptians are portrayed by the writers with use of the theory the other.        By reading the texts and modern literature about the writers a conclusion is made. The writers are different from each other in their descriptions of Egypt. Herodotus and Diodorus view Egypt as a wonderful land with a wonderful culture. Plutarch is also portraying Egypt with respect as Herodotus and Diodorus but does at the same time view Egypt with a more negative view. This is because Plutarch believes that the Greek culture is the foremost culture in the world.        A problem with all the writers’ texts is based upon that they did not speak ancient Egyptian and could therefore not make use of all the sources presented to them. Herodotus is viewed to not even have visited Egypt. Their texts are to be looked at with a grain of salt even though they clearly tried to represent Egypt as well as they could in their texts. Their texts are to be view as a literature construction simply because the writers did not understand Egyptian and therefore relied on earlier texts about Egypt made in Greek.

La cité de Ptolémaïs, fondée par Ptolémée Ier Sôtèr (323-283 av. J.-C.) en Thébaïde est la seule cité grecque de la région jusqu’au IIIe s. apr. J.-C. La spécificité de son organisation civique dans la région des grands sanctuaires égyptiens du sud de l’Égypte et sa proximité avec Thèbes, l’ancienne capitale pharaonique, en font un objet d’étude tout à fait singulier en Thébaïde. Toutefois, la ville de Ptolémaïs en Haute-Égypte constitue également aux périodes lagide et romaine, un centre administratif, militaire, économique et culturel majeur de la région. La spécificité civique de la cité s’oppose donc à l’intégration poussée de la ville de Ptolémaïs au sein de la Thébaïde et à sa participation au contrôle royal puis impérial de la région. Dès lors, s’intéresser à Ptolémaïs revient à s’interroger sur les conséquences potentielles de l’organisation civique de Ptolémaïs sur son intégration à la Thébaïde et réciproquement. Pour conduire cette réflexion cette thèse repose sur l’analyse d’un corpus de sources abondant réunissant des papyrus, des inscriptions et des ostraka grecs et démotiques, ainsi que quelques extraits d’auteurs grecs et latins. Cette analyse tire profit des renouvellements historiographiques récents tant ceux relatifs aux cités grecques aux périodes hellénistique et romaine, que ceux relatifs à l’élaboration progressive de l’État lagide et de la province romaine d’Égypte après lui
Ptolemais in Upper Egypt, settled by Ptolemy (323-283 BC) is the only Greek city-state in the Thebaid until the IIIrd c. AD. Its civic constitution is unparalleled in the area of Thebes, the ancient centre of pharaonic power in Upper-Egypt. Nevertheless Ptolemais is not only a Greek city during the Ptolemaic and Roman periods, but also a town with essential administrative, military, economic and cultural functions in Thebaid. The control of Upper Egypt by the Ptolemies, and after them by the Roman emperors, relies on the town of Ptolemais and its integration in the different power networks in the Thebaid. The integration of the town of Ptolemais in the Thebaid is contradictory with distinctiveness of the civic organization of the city-state of Ptolemais. Thus, this study of Ptolemais during the Ptolemaic and Roman periods focuses on the potential consequences of the civic organization of Ptolemais on its integration in the Thebaid and reciprocally. This thesis is based on the careful analysis of a large amount of papyri and inscriptions in Greek and Demotic with a few ostraka and classical authors’ excerpts. This analysis benefits from the renewal of scholars’ attention to the relationships between Greek cities and monarchical powers in the East. The study of Ptolemais make also the most of the recent works dealing with the progressive development of the Ptolemaic state and the Roman order in Egypt

This thesis discusses the archaeological remains in the Etruscan bridge complex, found during the excavations at San Giovenale in 1959–1963, and 1999. The aim has been to reach a holistic perspective of the bridge complex with the bridge seen as a link between topography, economy, social relationships, politics, symbols and ritual, reflecting its importance for the whole community at San Giovenale and its surroundings. Situated at the border between the two largest city-states Tarquinia and Caere, the site seems to have been an important middle range transit town for foreign ideas, goods and people.

The character of the remains and the various levels of contextual analyses made it possible to distinguish five distinctive functions for the structures at the bridge over the Pietrisco. From a more generalised point of view these suggested that specialized functions may be divided into practical, social and symbolic functions and these aspects have been of help in identifying an object or a structure. Besides practical functions of everyday use, economic and strategic functions have also been considered.

These functions were more or less in use contemporaneously, at least during several hundred years, from about the middle of the 6th down to the first century B.C. Pottery and small finds show that some activity has taken place at the site from the 9th century. Features of continuity, such as in the choice of crossing, the direction of the bridge construction after its destruction, the architectural ground-plans, the use of basins and a well, pottery fabrics of local and Greek imports and shapes, as well as changes in ground-plans, slight changes in the environment due to water erosion, earth-quakes and slides, have been observed. The physical as well as the liminal boundary between land and water as well as between man and spirits was accentuated by the tufa building, the water installations, and the road at the northern abutment. The thesis raises the hypothesis that the Etruscans believed that a crossing of a river via a bridge could violate the spirits of nature on land and in the water and therefore special rites were needed to restore the balance between nature and man before entering the bridge in order to reach safely at the other side of the ravine. The bridge itself can be seen as sacred, a liminal area where time and space do not exist and a place where it is easy to gain contact with the supernatural world.

Esta tesis expone la historia del yacimiento de Abydos y su relevancia como cen-tro religioso y místico hasta la época romana. Al mismo tiempo, presenta la cró-nica de todos aquellos personajes que visitaron el templo de Sethy I, ubicado en este enclave, desde la antigüedad y hasta finales del siglo xix, dejando constancia de su paso en distintas publicaciones llenas de comentarios y apreciaciones. La información se complementa con la exposición de todas las actuaciones arqueo-lógicas y demás intervenciones realizadas en el santuario a partir del siglo xx hasta la actualidad. A continuación, se lleva a cabo una descripción del recinto templario de Sethy I haciendo hincapié en sus aspectos arquitectónicos, simbó-licos e iconográficos adscritos a los cultos representados en los diferentes sectores que componen este edificio sagrado. A partir de los elementos constitutivos del mismo y de la gran relevancia mística del lugar con Osiris, se establecen toda una serie de hipótesis focalizadas en el singular aspecto que presenta el templo, así como en la finalidad última de su construcción asociada al Osireion. De este modo, el primer capítulo se centra en la presentación del yacimiento de Abydos en su conjunto, así como en el desarrollo del enclave, a nivel religioso, durante toda la historia del antiguo Egipto hasta la presencia del mundo romano. Un segundo capítulo versa acerca de Osiris y su estrecha vinculación con Abydos, destacando en los ritos mistéricos. El tercer capítulo presenta, de modo sucinto, al artífice del templo, así como su época, además de destacar la importancia que Sethy I otorgó a su templo abydiense. El cuarto capítulo expone la historia de las investigaciones del santuario de Sethy I en Abydos y su redescubrimiento. Una vez establecida la historia del templo, así como las actuaciones realizadas para su recuperación, los capítulos quinto y sexto se centran en la exposición e interpretación de los aspectos arquitectónicos, simbólicos e iconográficos que ofrece el recinto templario. Un último capítulo, el séptimo, recoge las conclusio-nes generales focalizadas en la finalidad última de este espacio sagrado, además de aportar toda una serie de premisas sobre la envergadura del rito osiriaco aso-ciado al soberano, así como sus implicaciones.
This thesis presents the history of the site of Abydos and its relevance as a religious and mystical center until Roman times. At the same time, it presents the chronicle of those personages who visited the temple of Seti I, located in this enclave, from ancient times until the end of the nineteenth century, leaving evidence of their presence in various publications full of comments and insights. The information is supplemented by the exposure of the all archaeological actions and other interventions carried out in the sanctuary from the twentieth century to the present. Then it carried out a description of the Templar enclosure of Sethy I emphasizing its architectural, symbolic and iconographic aspects attached to the cults represented in the various sectors that make up this sacred building. From the constituent elements of the temple and the great mystical significance of the place with the god Osiris, a number of hypotheses focused on the singular aspects presented by the temple and with the ultimate purpose of its construction associated with the Osireion. Thus, the first chapter focuses on the presentation of the site of Abydos as a whole as well as in the development of the enclave, a religious level, throughout the history of ancient Egypt to the presence of the Roman world. A second chapter is about Osiris and his close ties with Abydos, highlighting the mystery rites. The third chapter presents succinctly, the architect of the temple, as well as his time, in addition to highlighting the importance of Seti I for his Abydos’s temple. The fourth chapter presents the history of investigations of the sanctuary of Seti I at Abydos and its rediscovery. Once established the history of the temple and the action taken for his recovery, the fifth and sixth chapters focus on the presenting and interpretation of architectural, symbolic and iconographic aspects offered in the temple. A last chapter, the seventh, sets out the general conclusions focused on the ultimate objective of this sacred space, in addition to providing a range of assumptions about the importance of the Osirian rite associated with the sovereign, and its implications.

Cette thèse porte un regard nouveau sur la présence grecque en Égypte avant la conquête d’Alexandre le Grand. Par le biais des amphores grecques retrouvées en Égypte, notre étude apporte quelques éclairages sur la question des mobilités méditerranéennes. Notre approche, résolument archéologique, prend en considération l’ensemble de la documentation amphorique, en grande partie inédite, sur une trentaine de sites égyptiens. Les assemblages céramiques et la nature des contextes alimentent nos réflexions. Des études quantitatives permettent de déterminer la part relative des importations et ainsi de préciser aussi bien les réseaux d’échanges que la pénétration des produits méditerranéens en Égypte. Nous avons pu mettre en évidence un basculement du commerce qui, vers la fin du VIIe, se déplace du Levant vers les cités égéennes. Au cours du VIe siècle nous assistons à une généralisation progressive des importations grecques. Le monde égéen s’impose alors comme le partenaire économique privilégié d’un commerce à grande échelle. Largement distribuées sur l’ensemble du territoire, les amphores grecques ne se cantonnent pas aux seuls établissements côtiers dont la nature est également à l’étude. L’invasion de Cambyse en 525 ne semble pas mettre un frein à ces échanges. Nous notons toutefois quelques changements dans la hiérarchie des principales cités égéennes exportatrices. La présence importante d’amphores grecques et la faible représentation de céramiques fines dans des contextes domestiques égyptiens témoignent de la réception des denrées exportées sans toutefois entraîner un changement dans le mode de consommation local
This thesis takes a fresh look at Greek presence in Egypt before the conquest of Alexander the Great. By looking at Greek amphorae found in Egypt, our study will shed some light on the question of movement in the Mediterranean.Our approach is strictly archaeological and will take into consideration the ensemble of documentation concerning amphorae, still largely unpublished, from some 30 Egyptian sites. This enquiry places the archaeological context at the heart of the argument. The ceramic assemblages and the nature of contexts are what nourish our reflections. Quantitative studies allow us to determine the relative role of imports and thus to elucidate both exchange networks and the penetration of Mediterranean products into Egypt. We have been able to reveal a swing in trade towards the end of the 7th century away from the Levant and towards the Aegean cities. To date, nothing indicates a significant Greek presence prior to the last third of the 7th century. Throughout the 6th century, we witness a gradual generalisation of Greek imports. Widely distributed across the entire territory, Greek amphorae are not limited to coastal settlements, the nature of which is also under study. The invasion of Cambyses in 525 does not seem to have slowed this exchange. We do, however, note certain changes in the hierarchy of the principal Aegean export cities. The wide distribution of Greek amphorae is evidence of a strong current that can no longer be envisaged simply as destined for Greek communities in situ. By situating our data with a Mediterranean perspective, we are proposing a hypothesis of a more pronounced north-south circulation
تلقي هذه الرسالة نظرة جديدة على التواجد اليوناني في مصر قبل غزو الأسكندر الاكبر. من خلال الامفورات اليونانية التي عثر عليها في مصر٬ تلقي هذه الدراسة بعض الضوء على مسألة التنقل في حوض البحر الأبيض المتوسطمقاربتنا٬ و هي بلا شك متعلقة بعلم الآثار٬ تأخذ في الأعتبار جميع الوثائق المتعلقة بالأمفورات في حوالي ثلاثون موقع مصري٬ و غالبيتها غير مطبوعة. هذا البحث مبني على أساس أثري.و تتغدى أفكارنا من خلال قطع السيراميك المجمعة و طبيعة السياق التاريخي. تسمح الدراسات الكمية بتحديد الحصة التقريبية للواردات و بالتالي بتحديد كلا من شبكات التبادل و دخول منتجات البحر الابيض المتوسط مصرلقد استطعنا إثبات وجود تحول التجارة، والتي تنتقل من بلاد الشام إلى مدن بحر ايجه في نهاية القرن السابع. و حتى هذه اللحظة، لا يجد أي عنصر قد يشير إلى تواجد يوناني مهم في ما قبل الثلث الاخير للقرن السابع. و نشهد في القرن السادس، انتشار تدريجي للواردات اليونانية. و يصبح العالم الإيجي الشريك الإقتصادي المفضل للتجارة على نطاق واسع. و بعد أن قاموا بتوزيعها في جميع أنحاء البلاد، لم تعد الأمفورات اليونانية محصورة في المنشآت الساحلية و التي تعتبر طبيعتها ايضاً محل دراسة. و يبدو أن غزو قمبيز في عام 525 لم يضع حداً لهذا التبادل. و مع ذلك نلاحظ بعض التغييرات في ترتيب المدن الإيجيية الرئيسية المصدرة. يشهد الأنتشار الواسع للأمفورات اليونانية على تيار قوي لا يمكن النظر إليه، بعد الآن، على أنه خاص بالمجتمعات اليونانية المتواجدة هناكو في إطار الحياة المنزلية المصرية، يدل وجود الأمفورات اليونانية بكثرة وقلة الرسومات بالسيراميك الدقيق على تلقي السلع المصدرة دون أن يتبع ذلك تغيير في طريقة الاستهلاك المحلي. و عند وضع بياناتنا في إطار منظور خاص بالبحر الأبيض المتوسط، نفترض وجود حركة أكبر بين الشمال و الجنوب

The topic of this thesis is the palaestrae of Roman Africa. Although many examples of palaestrae have been found in North Africa, there has never been a study solely focused on these facilities. They have usually been considered only in the context of Roman baths and as features of bath buildings. This thesis examines palaestrae in a new light and analyzes their role as athletic facilities within the sporting culture of Roman Africa. The Roman provinces of North Africa have yielded a particularly rich body of evidence for athletic games and festivals, making this region ideal for studying this topic. The concern of the thesis is twofold. The first issue is the design and construction of palaestrae in Roman Africa. There is discussion of their form, of construction techniques, and of their place in the overall design of baths. The second issue is how their form relates to function. There is a discussion of how palaestrae accommodated athletic activities, such as training and competition. The thesis concludes that palaestrae in Roman Africa were an important part of local athletic culture, used for training and possibly for competition. Greek and Roman models influenced their design, but climate played a significant role. Great effort was made to ensure these buildings were kept cool, not only by placing them in less exposed areas but also by insulating them from the heated rooms of the baths. Local resources and building techniques were important factors in their construction. This thesis includes a gazetteer of palaestra sites in Roman Africa and a catalogue of all inscriptions relevant to the use of palaestrae.
Classical Archaeology

Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
ΒΙΟΣ as written by the classical Greeks an ambiguous word when read alone is it βίός the way of life ? or is it βίός the instrument of death ? unaccentuated it embodies both – a pair of opposites? ΑΡΤΕΜΙΣ a goddess of ambiguous and liminal zones nurturer of life, of birth and the young bringer of death in the hunt and the home - a contradiction ? Yet life has no meaning unless death exists and death is only meaningful if once there was life - co-dependent concepts. ΒΙΟΣ - one word symbolic of two interdependent concepts, ΑΡΤΕΜΙΣ - one goddess powerful in two inter-related realms. Karl Kerényi gives a comprehensive explanation of the Greek understanding of βίος where he makes the distinction between the finite property of βίος which exists between birth and death compared to the infinite properties of ζωή which means the opposite of death. This distinction is then used by him to characterise Dionysos as ζωή, the indestructible thread of continuous life. His dissertation on the meaning and use of these words is equally applicable to this assessment of Artemis, where her role is that of βίος, each discrete and individual life, a finite entity bounded by the milestones of birth and death. These two concepts of life co-existed in the Greek world. It is this concept of βίος, the finite span of life, with which both Artemis and this thesis are concerned.

MAREK DOSPĚL Bīr Shawīsh, Small Oasis: Ostraka and Other Inscribed Material ABSTRACT The present dissertation is primarily a publication of a group of primary sources. These sources come from the recent archaeological exploration by Charles University in Prague of the site of Bīr Shawīsh in the Baḥrīya Oasis ("Small Oasis" in Classical Antiquity) in Egypt's Western Desert and consist of inscribed material written in Hellenistic Greek or koinē. Their majority belongs in the family of documentary texts, while a smaller group consists of informal inscriptions. Both texts and inscriptions are written or incised on fired potter's clay supports and can be dated to around 400 CE. The core of this dissertation consists of an annotated edition of these texts and inscriptions (Chapter 3), immediately followed by a synthetic and interpretative Chapter 4 in which the cardinal issues inherent to the published material are treated in detail. An important part of the edition are the analytical indices and appendices. Chapter 1 serves as a general introduction to the work; Chapter 2 presents the historical and archaeological context of the edited inscribed material. The dissertation ends with Reference Bibliography and Plates of individual text-bearing artifacts. This work is the first comprehensive treatment of a group of...

The doctoral thesis aims at presenting the language and style of early Byzantine epistolography, as well as the ideas and emotions that underlie it, seen through the prism of unpublished material from the collection of the Austrian National Library in Vienna. Its starting point is the examination of private letters written on papyri dated from the 4th to the 7th century AD. The dissertation processes a "raw" material, thanks to which we can get an immediate insight into linguistic and stylistic evolution, social networks developing in the Byzantine province of Egypt, people and their emotions. This work consists of a catalog of the edited texts to help navigate through the material and the following parts: A. The introductory part, divided into three sections: 1) Review of literature on the history of ancient Greek epistolography, and previous monographs, key articles and research; 2) A detailed description of the work methodology; 3) Language aspects and stylistics. Part 3 discusses the most interesting discoveries from the linguistic point of view and other observations made on the basis of the edited texts, of particular value for researchers in the field of history and other related fields. B. Texts: edition of twenty-five letters made according to papyrological standards; accurate transcription; commentary on individual lines of text (analysis of the form and content of documents): grammar, phonetics, structural phenomena, prosopographic data, socio-historical analysis, paleographic comparisons with other texts. C. Conclusions: summary of research results. Finally, in the form of annexes, there appear full indexes of dates, names, professions and officials, terms related to religion and the Church, and a general index of Greek words. One of the annexes, illustrated with photos, is devoted to the abbreviations appearing in the texts. The annexes also contain a list of so-called nomina sacra, or abbreviations of a special form used to write names, proper names, and terms closely related to the Christian religion
Rozprawa doktorska ma za zadanie przedstawić język i stylistykę wczesnobizantyjskiej epistolografii, a także idee i emocje w niej obecne, widziane przez pryzmat niepublikowanego wcześniej materiału z kolekcji Biblioteki Narodowej Austrii w Wiedniu. Jej punktem wyjścia jest badanie listów prywatnych pisanych na papirusach, datowanych od IV do VII w.n.e. Rozprawa opracowuje „surowy” materiał, dzięki któremu możemy uzyskać natychmiastowy wgląd w ewolucję językową i stylistyczną, sieci społecznościowe rozwijające się w bizantyjskiej prowincji Egiptu, na ludzi i ich emocje. Niniejsza praca składa się z katalogu opracowanych tekstów ułatwiającego poruszanie się po materiale oraz następujących części: A. Część wstępna, podzielona na trzy sekcje: 1) Przegląd literatury omawiającej historię starożytnej greckiej epistolografii oraz dotychczasowych monografii, najważniejszych artykułów i badań; 2) Szczegółowy opis metodologii pracy; 3) Aspekty językowe i stylistyka. Część 3 omawia odkrycia najciekawsze z punktu widzenia języka oraz inne obserwacje poczynione na podstawie opracowanych tekstów i mające szczególną wartość dla badaczy reprezentujących dziedziny historyczne. B. Teksty: edycja dwudziestu pięciu listów wykonana wedle standardów papirologicznych; staranna transkrypcja; komentarz do poszczególnych linii tekstu (analiza formy i treści dokumentów): gramatyka, fonetyka, zjawiska strukturalne, dane prosopograficzne, analiza społeczno-historyczna, paleograficzne porównania z innymi tekstami. C. Konkluzje: podsumowanie wyników badań. Na koniec, w postaci aneksów, pojawiają się pełne indeksy dat, imion, zawodów i urzędników, terminów związanych z religią i Kościołem, oraz ogólny indeks słów greckich. Jeden z aneksów, ilustrowany zdjęciami, poświęcony jest skrótom występującym w tekstach. Aneksy zawierają także listę tzw. nomina sacra, czyli skrótów o szczególnej formie stosowanych do zapisu imion, nazw własnych i terminów ściśle powiązanych z religią chrześcijańską.