Ostrakon with Lines from Homer's Iliad

Art Historical Context

Nestled in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Medieval Art collection, this unassuming ostrakon—a small limestone fragment measuring just 4 x 4.3 cm—offers a poignant glimpse into everyday literacy in Coptic Egypt around 600 AD. Inked with lines from Homer's *Iliad*, this tiny artifact from an unknown scribe captures verses from the epic tale of the Trojan War, blending classical Greek literature with the Christian-era culture of late antique Egypt. Ostraca like this one were ubiquitous writing surfaces in ancient and early medieval Egypt, made from broken pottery or limestone shards that were ...