‘It Might Come in Useful’ – Scavenging among the Monks from the Hermitage in MMA 1152

• Authors: Tomasz Górecki
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

The article explores the meaning of the presence of evidently reused objects in the hermitage installed in the Theban tomb MMA 1152. These objects could not have been deposited there accidentally, because the hermitage is off the beaten track and at fairly elevated height, hence anything ‘dropped’ inside it must have been brought there on purpose. There is much to say that the monks collected these objects with some practical purpose in mind. Examples discussed in the article sound a cautionary note: not every object found on an archaeological site can be considered as originating from it and used there originally. Things could have been adapted and even transferred from other places. Such observations of apparently secondary importance can fill out significantly the picture of everyday life of the resident(s) of the hermitage and draw a picture of a devout monk who was at the same time both thrifty and inventive.

Keywords

EN

reused objects; hermitages; Coptic monks; Theban necropolis; Coptic Egypt

• Publisher: Instytut Kultur Śródziemnomorskich i Orientalnych PAN
• Journal: Études et Travaux (Institut des Cultures Méditerranéennes et Orientales de l’Académie Polonaise des Sciences)
• Year: 2014
• Issue: 27
• Pages: 129–150

Contributors

author

Tomasz Górecki

• Muzeum Narodowe w Warszawie

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