Ostrakon
Unknown Artist
600
Medium
Pottery fragment with ink inscription
Dimensions
1 3/8 x 2 3/8 in. (3.5 x 6 cm)
Classification
Ceramics
Culture
Coptic
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1914
Accession Number
14.1.57
Tags
Art Historical Context
Welcome to the Medieval Art galleries, where this humble *Ostrakon* from around 600 AD offers a window into everyday life in Coptic Egypt.ed from a simple pottery fragment—just 1 3/8 x 2 3/8 inches—this artifact bears an ink inscription, transforming discarded shards into practical writing surfaces. In a time when papyrus was costly and scarce, ancient Egyptians, including the Christian Coptic communities, repurposed broken pottery (known as ostraka) for everything from letters and receipts to school exercises and magical texts. This piece exemplifies Coptic culture's blend of Egyptian tradit...