Ostrakon

Art Historical Context

Step into the world of everyday ancient writing with this intriguing *Ostrakon* from around 600 AD, a humble pottery fragment inscribed with ink. Measuring just 3⅜ x 3⅞ inches, this Coptic artifact from Egypt reveals how people repurposed broken ceramics—known as ostraca—as affordable writing surfaces when papyrus was scarce. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Medieval department, it exemplifies the practical ingenuity of Coptic culture, blending Egyptian traditions with emerging Christian influences during the late antique period. In Coptic society, under Byzantine rule transitioning...