QALAMOS

Heritage Studies

Vol. 2, Issue 2, pp. 36- 45

Published: June 2026

ID: QALAMOS.2.2.6.2026.003

DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.22843147

Three Unedited Coptic Ostraca at

the NMEC

Ahmed Nakshara

1

*

, Jošt Martinčič

2

,

Pia Kos

2

, Lara Unuk

2

,

Jana

Unuk

2

,

Maher Eissa

3

*ahmed.nakshara@arch.asu.edu.eg

1

Lecturer of Coptology and Site Management, Ain Shams University. Egypt.

2

MA, PhD Candidates,

University of Ljubljana, Slovenia.

3

Professor of Egyptology/ Coptology, Fayoum University, Egypt

Abstract

This article presents the edition of three unpublished Coptic ostraca and is the

first in a series celebrating the academic collaboration established in 2024

between the University of Ljubljana (Slovenia) and Egyptian institutions (Ain

Shams

and

Fayoum

Universities),

supported

by

the

Erasmus+

KA171

programme and the SloveNile platform. Designed to foster Coptic studies in

Slovenia,

the

initiative

encompasses

introductory

courses,

advanced

paleography workshops, and papyrological training hosted in Ljubljana and

Cairo.

The

editions

of

the

three

letters

in

this

article

were

prepared

by

Slovenian students, trained and supervised by the two Egyptian co-authors

through this initiative.

Keywords

NMEC;

Thebes;

Coptic Letters;

Coptic Ostraca.

IFAO.

Conflict of Interest: None declared

Funding: Not applicable

Author(s) Contributions:

Author 1.

A Nakshara

: Supervision, introduction, commentary, and drafting.

Author 2.

J.

Martinčič, P

.

Kos, L

.

Unuk, J

.

Unuk

.

Editions and commentary.

Author 3.

M. Eissa

: Supervision, contextualization, and verification.

Received: March 5, 2026

Accepted: April 8, 2026

Published: June 30, 2026

1. Introduction

This article is the first in a series celebrating the fruitful collaboration between the University

of Ljubljana (Slovenia) and the Universities of Ain Shams and Fayoum (Egypt).

Launched

in

2024 under the auspices of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies (Section for Egyptology and

Coptology) at the Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana, and continuing to the present day,

this initiative aims to

establish

and foster Coptic studies in Slovenia, in association with the

SloveNile platform (Slovenian

-

Egyptian Heritage Science Platform

,

F

or further details, see

:

https://www.e

-

rihs.si/slovenile/

)

.

Within the framework of the Erasmus+ International Credit Mobility Programme (KA171),

following preliminary visits by the two Egyptian co

-

authors in October 2024 to strengthen

institutional ties and plan future training, Dr. Ahmed Nakshara (Ain Shams Unive

rsity /

Institut

français

d'archéologie

orientale

[IFAO])

and

his

host

Dr.

Jan

Ciglenečki

(University

of

Ljubljana) delivered the first two

-

week introductory «Coptic language and literature» course

at the University of Ljubljana in April 2025, training over ten Slovenian students. This was

followed in Oc

tober 2025 by a joint papyrology workshop, «Papyrology in Dialogue,» held at

the IFAO in Cairo. Coordinated by Prof. Khaled Younes (Sadat City University/IFAO), Dr.

Laura Aguer (IFAO), Dr. Nakshara, and Dr. Ciglenečki, in collaboration with the Center for

Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Ljubljana, the event brought together 37 Egyptian

and eight Slovenian scholars and students who engaged directly with the IFAO archives and

worked on original Coptic ostraca and papyri. Its comprehensive program

featured practical

sessions on papyrus sheet production (Ms. Iman Ali, IFAO)

and ancient ink manufacturing (Dr.

Hassan

Ebeid,

Ain

Shams

University,

and

Dr.

Dalia

Nabawy,

Ministry

of

Tourism

and

Antiquities [MoTA]), a keynote lecture by Dr. Ciglenečki entitled «Before They

a

re Gone:

Challenges

and

(Lost)

Opportunities

in

Documenting

Coptic

Graffiti,»

and

a

three

-

day

intensive workshop in Coptic documentary papyrology led by Dr. Nakshara in

collaboration

with Dr. N

e

sreen Monir (MoTA), Dr. Rowida Ab

o

Bakr (Luxor University), Dr. Wafaa Abd

Elwahab

(Assiut

University),

and

Prof.

Ahmed

Khalil

(Minia

University).

By

hosting

this

workshop and sustaining the ongoing Papyrology Seminar

,

co

-

organized by Prof. Younes, Dr.

Nakshara,

and

Dr.

Aguer

,

the

IFAO

aims

to

reinforce

its

long

-

standing

commitment

to

interdisciplinary, multilingual papyrological research and to provide a sustained platform for

advanced training and scholarly exchange between Egyptian and international researchers.

Following

the

establishment

of

a

parallel

Erasmus+

(KA171)

agreement

with

Fayoum

University, Prof. Maher Eissa provided advanced papyrological training, «Glimpses of Coptic

Daily

Life:

Through

Documentary

and

Literary

Texts,»

to

the

same

group

of

Slovenian

students in Ljubljana in November 2025, joined this time by students from the

Institut für

Ägyptologie

at Ludwig Maximilian University (Germany), in collaboration with Dr. Florian

Rösch and Dr. Ciglenečki. In April 2026, Prof. Eissa and Dr. Nakshara conducted a further

advanced

course,

«How

to

Edit

Coptic

Texts?»

,

in

Ljubljana

on

Coptic

palaeography

and

critical text

-

editing according to international conventions, such as the Leiden System.

A joint online SloveNile papyrology seminar is planned for the summer of 2026, taking place

on a weekly basis and co

-

hosted by Prof. Eissa alongside Egyptian instructors (Dr. Nakshara,

Dr.

Monir,

and

Dr.

Ab

o

Bakr).

The

initiative

will

bring

together

Egyptian

and

Slovenian

students, who will work in pairs to edit unpublished Coptic ostraca.

These texts will form the

subject of the forthcoming second article in this series. An additional advanced training course

led

by

Prof.

Eissa

is

scheduled

to

take

place

in

Ljubljana

in

September

2026,

and

three

Slovenian

students

will

participate

in

the

8t

h

International

Summer

School

in

Coptic

Papyrology at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo

from

26

September

to 2

October 2026, visiting

Ahmed Nakshara et al.

QALAMOS HERITAGE STUDIES 2/2 JUNE 2026

37

the Coptic collections of several museums,

including the

Coptic Museum and

the

National

Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC).

The NMEC in Cairo, situated near the archaeological site of al

-

Fusṭāṭ and the Coptic quarter

of Old Cairo, houses a significant and linguistically diverse epigraphic collection that includes

hundreds of Coptic ostraca alongside texts written in hieroglyphi

c, hieratic, demotic, Greek,

and

Arabic

scripts

(Eissa,

2014,

p.

197).

This

substantial

collection

of

Coptic

sherds

was

assembled

through

several

channels,

including

archaeological

excavation

missions,

institutional transfers from other prominent museums l

ike the Egyptian Museum in Cairo and

the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), and police confiscations of smuggled antiquities (Eissa,

2014, p. 197; Eissa & Ahmed, 2017, p. 21). A highly notable component of this corpus is a

confiscated group of

forty Coptic and Greek ostraca of unknown precise provenance,

though

dialectal and paleographical indicators strongly suggest they originate from the Theban region

and date primarily to the seventh and eighth centuries (Eissa, 2014, p. 197; Eissa, 2015, p. 412;

Eissa, 201

6

, p. 145; Eissa & Ahmed, 2017, p. 21).

The textual genres represented within the NMEC

'

s Coptic holdings are exceptionally broad;

they encompass everyday personal correspondence and scribal exercises (Eissa, 2014, p. 198;

Eissa & Ahmed, 2017, p. 22), biblical and liturgical passages such as Sahidic Coptic Psalm

extracts utilized for personal

piety, protective amulets, or school writing

practices (Eissa, 2015,

p. 411

–

412), and unique administrative or monastic "donations" like O.NMEC Inv. 117 (Eissa,

201

6

, p. 146). O.NMEC Inv. 117, which notably features crossed

-

out lines to render the draft

invalid, records a deeply personal narrative of repentance and a resolution to retire to the holy

monastery of Apa Samuel, historically known as Deir El

-

Gizāz (Eissa,

201

6

, p

p

. 145

–

146,

150). Linguistically, these ostraca serve as an important resource for Coptic dialectology, with

many

texts

composed

in

Sahidic

Coptic

while

displaying

strong

regional

Upper

Egyptian

variations or rare lexical and morphological influences from the Lycopolitan L4 dialect (Eissa,

2014, p

p

. 199

–

200).

Ultimately,

the

collection

provides

modern

scholars

with

a

vivid

window

into

the

socio

-

religious

fabric

of

late

antique

Egypt,

documenting

the

educational

methods

used

to

train

copyists

and

the

active

integration

of

monastic

networks

into

the

daily

lives

a

nd

spiritual

discipline of the local population (

Eissa, 201

6

,

p. 150; Eissa & Ahmed, 2017, p

p

. 32

–

33). The

three

ostraca

published

below

stem

from

the

NMEC's

confiscations

collection;

all

three

represent fragments of letters. Both the circumstances of acquisition and their internal features

point to a Theban origin.

2-

The Three Ostraca

2.1

A monastic letter? (

O. NMEC 235)

Jošt Martinčič, Pia Kos

The text is a letter, though the names of the correspondents have unfortunately been lost. The

subject

of

the

message

remains

unclear,

but

it

may

concern

an

exchange

of

goods

(l.

10

ⲥϯⲛⲟⲩϥⲉ, possibly l. 19 ⲁⲣⲁⲕⲟⲥ)

or an administrative matter (l. 7

ⲗⲁϣⲁⲛⲉ

), and in some way

involves an individual named

ⲥⲁⲃⲓⲛⲉ.

Although its contents remain obscure, the ostracon was

evidently produced in a monastic context, as indicated by the titles

(ⲡⲣⲉⲥⲩⲧⲉⲣⲟⲥ, ϩⲙ̅ϩⲁⲗ

) and

the epithet

ⲉⲗⲁⲭⲓⲥⲧⲟⲥ

, as well as the mention of a

topos

.

The text is written on both sides of a reddish-brown pottery sherd, which is broken along its

left edge. Consequently, although line 1 is clearly the first line of the preserved text, it remains

uncertain whether the beginning of the message has been lost. On the recto, the end of line 7 is

chipped

away,

as

is

the

area

following

lines

8–9,

though

no

text

appears

to

be

affected.

Three Unedited Coptic Ostraca at the NMEC

pg. 38

Similarly, on the

verso, the

beginning of

line 19 and the

space

preceding

lines 17–18 are

chipped away. A left margin approximately one character wide is preserved on the verso

.

The script is bilinear and slightly right-sloping with no ascending and few descending strokes.

The

letters

are

written

very

close

together,

often

touching

one

another

and

giving

the

impression of being ligated. Nevertheless, genuine ligatures occur in several places: in lines 8,

12, and 17, the arm of

epsilon

connects to the headstroke of

tau

and

pi

or the upper arm of

kappa

, in lines 11 and 18, the stem of

alpha

extends and forms the (upper) lobe of

beta

and

rho

. In line 7 (and perhaps 6)

pi

exhibits a special form when it is ligatured to the following

letter. A diaeresis is placed over

iota

following

alpha

, though not consistently. Superlinear

strokes are placed slightly to the right of the letters they accompany (

mu

: l. 3;

nu

: ll. 4, 5, 9). In

addition to their standard functions, superlinear strokes are occasionally placed over the final

letter of a word

(l. 5 ϩⲙϩⲁⲗ̅, l. 17 ⲉⲓⲱⲧ̅, l. 18 ⲣⲁⲛ̅, l. 20 ⲉⲡⲓⲥⲕⲟⲡⲟⲥ̅).

O. NMEC 235

9.5 x 13.7cm

Theban region

Fig. 1, 2

7th – 8th century?

Recto

[- - -]

+̣

ⲥ

ⲩ

ⲅ

̣ⲭⲱⲣⲉⲓ

[- - -]

ϭ

̣ⲛ̅ ⲭⲁⲣⲧⲏⲥ

[- - -]ⲧⲟ̣ⲛⲟⲥ̣ ⲙ̅ⲙ

ⲁ

ⲓ

4

[- - -]ⲟ̣ ⲁⲓⲙⲟⲩϩ ⲛ̅ⲣⲁϣⲉ

[- - -]ϩ̣ⲙϩⲁⲗ̅ ⲛ̅ⲛⲉⲗⲁⲭ(ⲓⲥⲧⲟⲥ)

[- - -]ⲡ̣ ⲁⲓϫⲓ ⲛⲉⲕⲥϩⲁ



ⲉⲧ

[- - -]ⲡ̣ⲗⲁϣⲁⲛⲉ ⲁⲓϣⲁϫⲉ [.]

8

[- - -] . ⲉ ⲉⲧⲟⲩⲁⲁⲃ ⲙⲛ̅ⲧⲉⲕ

[- - -]ⲓ̣ⲥⲧⲁ ⲉⲙⲁⲧⲉ ⲉϫⲛ̅

[- - -]ⲛ̅ⲥϯⲛⲟⲩϥⲉ ϩⲓ ⲡⲁϩ .

[- - -] . ⲩ ⲥⲁⲃⲓⲛⲉ ⲉ

12

[- - -]ⲡ̣ⲉⲕⲧⲟⲡⲟⲥ

[- - -]ⲙⲁⲧⲁ

Verso

ⲉϥ̣ϣⲁⲛ ⲣ̅ . [- - -]

ⲧⲕ ⲡⲉϩⲟⲩⲟ . [- - -]

16

ⲙⲛⲧ



ϫⲟⲉⲓⲥ ⲛ̅ . [- - -]

ⲛ̅ⲉⲓⲱⲧ̅ ⲡⲉⲡⲓⲥⲕⲟ̣[ⲡⲟⲥ ---]

ⲙ̣ⲡⲁⲣⲁⲛ̅ ⲙ̅ⲙⲟⲛ



[- - -]

[ⲉ]ⲧⲃⲉ ⲛⲁⲣⲁⲕⲟ[ⲥ- - -]

20

ⲡⲉⲡⲓⲥⲕⲟⲡⲟⲥ̅ . [---]

ϩ

ⲓ

ϫ

ⲛ̅ ⲧⲉⲕ

ϩ

ⲁ . [- - -]

ⲟⲩ

ϫ

ⲁⲓ

ϩ

ⲙ̅ ⲡ

ϫ

̣[ⲟⲉⲓⲥ]

ⲡ̣ⲁ

ϫ

ⲟⲉⲓⲥ .

[

---

]

24

ⲡⲣⲉⲥⲃⲩ

̣[

ⲧⲉⲣⲟⲥ

]

1

συγχωρ

έ

ω

∥

2

χάρτης

∥ 5 ⲉⲗⲁⲭ



ost.

ἐ

λάχιστος

∥ 12

τόπος

∥ 17, 20

ἐ

πίσκοπος

∥ 19 ἄρακος ∥ 24

πρεσβυ

́

τερος

Recto

… Forgive me … find papyri … loving (?) (4)

… I was filled with joy … servant of the least

[ones] … I received your letters … the

lašane

. I spoke ...

(8)… holy with your … greatly for

… the perfumes … … Sabine (12) … your

topos

…

Verso

If he does …… the majority … (16) lordship … of father the bishop …in my name (to) us ….

concerning the aracos (?)… (20) the bishop … upon/for your … Farewell in the [Lord] my lord

… (24) the priest.

Commentary

ll. 1–2 The ink is extremely faded at the beginning of line 1. Despite the unusual form of the

gamma

, the word

ⲥⲩⲅⲭⲱⲣⲉⲓ

is secure. Given the combination

ϭ̣ⲛ̅ ⲭⲁⲣⲧⲏⲥ

in the following line,

this phrasing likely represents the well-attested Theban formula of excuse for using an ostracon

instead of papyrus. While this formula typically employs the Coptic phrase

ⲕⲱ ⲛⲁ



ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ϫⲉ

ⲙ̄ⲡⲓϭⲛ̄ ⲭⲁⲣⲧⲏⲥ

(“Forgive me that I did not find papyrus”), our scribe appears to have preferred

the Greek loanword

ⲥⲩⲅⲭⲱⲣⲉⲓ (συγχωρέω)

over

ⲕⲱ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ.

Ahmed Nakshara et al.

QALAMOS HERITAGE STUDIES 2/2 JUNE 2026

39

Because this epistolary formula frequently opens a letter, the traces at the very beginning of

line 1 may be read as an initial cross (

+

), suggesting that line 1 is intact at the start. Restoring

the formula as

ⲥⲩⲅⲭⲱⲣⲉⲓ ⲛⲁ



ϫⲉ ⲙ̄ⲡⲓϭⲛ̄ ⲭⲁⲣⲧⲏⲥ

yields an approximate lacuna of eight letters

in

line

2.

Although

this

exact

variant

of

the

formula

is

otherwise

unattested,

the

use

of

ⲥⲩⲅⲭⲱⲣⲉⲓ

in introductory excuses is well documented; see, for example, P.Mon.Epiph. 277.1

(

+

ⲥⲩⲅⲭⲱⲣⲉⲓ

ⲛⲁⲓ

ϫ

[

ⲉ

]

ⲉⲣⲉⲧⲁⲟⲩⲉⲣⲏⲧⲉ

ϣ

ⲱ̣

ⲡⲉ

ⲙ



ⲡⲓ

ϭ



ⲛ



ⲑⲉ

ⲛ



ⲧⲁⲉ

ⲓ̣

, “Excuse me, for my

foot aileth

and I have not found means to come”).

l. 3 Probably restore

ⲙ̄ⲙⲁⲓ[ⲛⲟⲩⲧⲉ]

(“god-loving”).

l. 4 ⲁⲓⲙⲟⲩϩ ⲛ̄ⲣⲁϣⲉ:

This phrase (“I was filled with joy”) also occurs near the opening of a

letter in O.Frange 779.3 and P.Mon.Epiph. 127.3. In both parallels, it appears in combination

with, though following, the formula

ⲁⲓϫⲓ ⲛⲉⲕⲥϩⲁⲓ (“I received your letter”), which occurs later

in the present text (l. 6).

l. 9 The traces may represent the ending of the Greek verb

[ⲉⲩⲭⲁⲣ]ⲓⲥⲧⲁ

("to thank"), reinforced

by the adverb

ⲉⲙⲁⲧⲉ

("very much"), with

ⲉϫⲛ

introducing the object of thanks. The resulting

phrase would mean "to thank [someone] very much for...".

l. 10 At the end of the line, the letters become illegible, written on top of one another, perhaps

in a cursive hand, probably due to the lack of remaining space. Following the sequence

ϩⲓ ⲡⲁϩ-

.,

three possibilities present themselves:

ⲛⲥ, ⲕⲟ

and

ⲕⲱ.

The first yields

ϩⲓ ⲡⲁϩⲛ̣ⲥ̣,

which could

be a defective spelling of

ⲡⲁϩⲟⲛⲥ

, an alternative name for the 9th month

ⲡⲁϣⲟⲛⲥ

, attested in

O.Crum 478 as

ⲡⲁϩⲟⲛ[ⲥ

]

.

However, the construction with the preposition

ϩⲓ

seems to rule out

this possibility, since we would expect a different phrase to indicate a month. The second option

produces

ϩⲓ ⲡⲁϩⲕ̣ⲟ̣

, potentially meaning 'in my hunger', and the third

ϩⲓ ⲡⲁϩⲕ̣ⲱ̣,

containing the

word

ⲁϩⲕⲱ

of

unknown

meaning

(Crum,

Dict.

24b)

.

The

most

textually

elegant

solution

,

ϩⲓⲡⲁϩⲟ̣ⲩ̣

, does not match the appearance of the traces on the ostracon.

l. 11 ⲥⲁⲃⲓⲛⲉ

: A personal name of Latin origin (Sabinus / Sabina) that most commonly occurs

in Theban documents dating to the sixth to eighth centuries (TM NamVar 55077,

https://www.trismegistos.org/namvar/55077

)

l. 17 Unusual use of the superlinear stroke on the ending consonant

tau

in the noun

ⲉⲓⲱⲧ̅.

Similarly in l. 18

(ⲣⲁⲛ̅)

and l. 20

(ⲉⲡⲓⲥⲕⲟⲡⲟⲥ̅).

l. 19

ⲛⲁⲣⲁⲕⲟ[ⲥ]:

The word

ⲁⲣⲁⲕⲟ[ⲥ

] most probably represents the Greek loanword

ἄρακος.

The spelling

ⲁⲣⲁⲕⲉ

is attested in the bilingual Greek-Coptic document SB Kopt. I 234 (8th

century). The Greek term refers to the wild chickling vetch (

Lathyrus annuus

), a leguminous

plant with edible seeds similar to peas. In Coptic, the word is attested in many variations, such

as

ⲁⲣⲁ, ⲁⲣⲁⲅⲉ, ⲁⲣⲁⲕ



, ⲁⲣⲁⲕⲁ, and ⲟⲣⲁⲝ

(Förster, 2002, p. 94).

Three Unedited Coptic Ostraca at the NMEC

pg. 40

Figure 1

Figure 2

2.2 A letter with a request (O. NMEC 217)

Lara Unuk

The contents of the ostracon are rather obscure due to the broken parts at the top and the bottom.

Although

it

preserves

no

recognizable

introductory

formulae

or

closing

greetings,

the

identification of the text as a letter rests on the use of the second-person singular and the

presence of a direct addressee. A connection to a monastic milieu is indicated by the mention

of

apa

Isaiah. The message of the letter remains abstruse, as is often the case with letters, since

the modern reader lacks the background knowledge shared by the sender and the recipient.

The top of the ostracon is lost. Along the left margin, at least a few letters are missing in every

line except the last, while the right margin lacks text in lines one and two. Given that the text

ends abruptly without closing greetings, it is highly probable that the lower portion is missing

as well.

The script is bilinear (majuscule), on the right side of the ostracon slightly right-sloping, in

other

parts

more

upright.

Slightly

curved

lines

of

writing

seem

to

follow

the

form

of

the

ostracon. The letters are regular and readable, but have the appearance of having been written

a bit carelessly or in a hurry.

Shading is visible: some letters are considerably thicker, others quite thin. This can be observed

almost in every line, especially in the 1st, 2nd, and 4th lines. The lobes on some letters are thus

filled in (l. 2

ⲁ

; l. 4

ⲣ

).

Diaeresis is used on the letter (

ⲓ)

, which is prolonged below the line. The final letter

ⲁ

in the

third line has a noticeably long descender. The (

ⲓ

) in the name Isaiah is written higher, between

the two

alphas

, as if added later. Between the two

omicrons

in the first line, another

omicron

can be discerned; it might be a correction. A descender can be discerned at the end of the 2nd

line, perhaps a

ϣ

.

A high dot can be discerned in line 4.

Ahmed Nakshara et al.

QALAMOS HERITAGE STUDIES 2/2 JUNE 2026

41

O. NMEC 217

6.1 × 5.4 cm

Theban region

Fig. 3

7th – 8th century?

---------------------------------

?

[---]ⲙ̣

︦

ⲡⲟⲟ̣ⲩ̣[---]

[---]ⲛ̣ⲭⲁⲣⲧⲏⲥ ⲛⲅ̣ⲟ̣[---]

[---]ⲅ̣ ⲡⲛⲟⲩⲧⲉ ⲛⲁ

4

[

---

]

ⲛ̣

ⲡⲣⲟⲥⲑⲉ

ⲟⲛ

[

ⲛ

]

ⲧⲁ

ⲓ̈

ϫ̣

ⲟⲟ

ϥ

ⲛⲁⲕ

ⲉ

-

ⲧⲃⲉ

ⲁⲡⲁ

ⲏ

ⲥ̣

ⲁ̣

\

ⲓ̈

/

ⲁⲥ

---------------------------------

?

2

χάρτης

‖ 4

πρός

…

Today …

…

papyrus and you …

…

God

will

(4) …

in the same way also

I have already

told you considering apa Isaiah.

”

Commentary

l. 2 The word ⲭⲁⲣⲧⲏⲥ

could be part of the formula

ⲕⲱ ⲛⲁⲓ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ϫⲉ ⲙ̄ⲡⲓϭⲛ̄ ⲭⲁⲣⲧⲏⲥ

, which is

sometimes used as an excuse for sending ostracon instead of papyrus. However, we can also

find ostraca asking for

ⲭⲁⲣⲧⲏⲥ

to be sent to the author, in which case it can also mean «scroll»

or «document».

ll. 2-3 ⲛⲅ̣ⲟ̣[ⲩⲱϣ]

can tentatively be restored in the lacuna.

Figure 3:

Three Unedited Coptic Ostraca at the NMEC

pg. 42

2.3 A letter mentioning a monk (O. NMEC 219)

Jana

Unuk

The text is a letter, despite the loss of its introductory formulae, as indicated by the surviving

final greetings. Neither the sender nor the recipient is named, and the overall content remains

unclear. The sender reminds the addressee of previously transmitted "words", a phrasing that

likely refers to a prior letter, presumably between the two parties, though third parties may also

have been involved.

The beginning of the sherd is damaged, with lacunae likely on both sides, except in the final

two lines. The hand is bilinear (majuscule), regular, and slightly slanting to the right. A vertical

ink stain appears between lines 3 and 4; however, the

ⲁ

of

ϣⲁϫⲉ

remains legible beneath it.

O. NMEC 219

7.8 x 6.1

Theban region

Fig. 4

7th – 8th century?

---------------------------------

?

[---]ⲛ̣ⲉⲛ

.

[

---

]

[

---

ⲅ

]

ⲁ̣ⲣ

ⲕⲥⲟⲟⲩ

ⲛ̣

[

---

]

[

---

]

ϫ

ⲉ

ⲁ

ï

ϫ

ⲟⲟⲩ̣

[

---

]

4

[

---

]

ϣ̣

ⲁ

ϫ

ⲉ

ϫ

ⲟⲗ

︤

ⲕⲧ

[

---

]

[

---

]

ⲙ

︤

ⲡⲣ

︤

ⲕⲱ

ⲟⲩⲛ

[

---

]

[

---

]

ⲛ

︤

ⲉⲓⲱⲧ

ϫ

ⲉ

ⲡ

ϣ

ⲁ

[

---

]

ⲟⲩ

ϫ

ⲁ

ï

ϩ

ⲙ



ⲡ

ϫ̣

-

8

ⲟ̣ⲉ̣ⲓ̣ⲥ̣

+

2

γάρ

‖ 5

ο

ὖ

ν

...

our ...

…

for you know ...

that I sent …

(4)

… word …

…

Therefore, don’t abandon ……

father… Farewell in the (8) Lord +

Commentary

l. 5 The imperative phrase

ⲙ

︤

ⲡⲣ

︤

ⲕⲱ ⲟⲩⲛ

[---] ("Therefore, do not leave..." / "do not delay...")

represents a classic Sahidic Coptic epistolary injunction whose lacuna can be restored based

on line length and pragmatic context. Depending on whether the verb

ⲕⲱ

is used intransitively

to mean "to delay" (yielding short completions lik

e ⲛⲉⲓ / ⲛϣⲟⲩⲉⲓ

, "to come"), transitively

regarding property or diligence

(ⲛⲗⲁⲁⲩ

, "anything",

or

ⲛⲧⲉⲕⲥⲡⲟⲩⲇⲏ

, "your diligence"), or

conditionally with a negative complex preposition (

ⲛⲟⲩⲉϣ ⲧⲁⲁϥ,

"without giving it"), the

clause functions across documentary papyri and ostraca as an urgent command demanding

immediate presence, complete administrative execution, or the strict conditional hand-off of

goods.

Ahmed Nakshara et al.

QALAMOS HERITAGE STUDIES 2/2 JUNE 2026

43

Figure 4:

Three Unedited Coptic Ostraca at the NMEC

pg. 44

3

. References

1.

B

oud'hors, A. & Heurtel, C. (Eds.). (2010).

Les ostraca coptes de la TT 29: Autour

du moine Frangé

(Études d'archéologie thébaine 3).
2.

Crum, W. E. & Evelyn White, H. G. (Eds.). (1926).

The monastery of Epiphanius

at Thebes

(Part II).
3.

Crum,

W.

E.

(Ed.).

(1902).

Coptic

ostraca

from

the

collections

of

the

Egypt

Exploration Fund, the Cairo Museum and others

.
4.

Eissa, M. & Ahmed, S. (2017). Epistolary school exercises from NMEC.

Bulletin

de la Société d'Archéologie Copte

,

56

, pp. 21–34.
5.

Eissa, M. (2014).

A letter or an exercise (O.

NMEC Inv. 107)?

,

Chronique d'Égypte

,

89

(177),

pp.

197

–

201.

https://doi.org/10.1484/J.CDE.5.102520
6.

Eissa, M. (2015). Psalm excerpts on an ostracon: Edition of O. NMEC Inv. 91.

Chronique

d'Égypte

,

90

(180),

pp.411

–

414.

https://doi.org/10.1484/J.CDE.5.110412
7.

Eissa, M. (2016). Self-donation or retirement to the monastery (?): O. NMEC 117.

Bulletin de l'Institut français d'archéologie orientale

,

115

,

pp.

145

–

152.
8.

Förster, H. (Ed.). (2002).

Wörterbuch der griechischen Wörter in den koptischen

dokumentarischen

Texten

(Texte

und

Untersuchungen

zur

Geschichte

der

altchristlichen Literatur, Vol. 148). Walter de Gruyter.

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45

Abstract

3 . References

3

. References