The present article gathers papyrological testimonies of contacts of the monastic community at Bawit and its members with ‘the world outside’: officials, tenants, and various partners in economic activities. Its objective is to investigate the role played by these external connections in the life of the monastery in the sixth–eighth centuries and the extent to which economic and fiscal circumstances could influence the administration of the community.
The article attempts to explore the applicability of the household model to the monastery of Bawit in Middle Egypt as seen through the papyrological documentation. By focusing on features and functions of household underscored in definitions used by sociology and economy, it defines the monastery as a unit where material and symbolic value was produced and transmitted, and brings to light connections between people, materialities, and labour.
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