Figural graffiti from the basilica of St. Philoxenos at Oxyrhynus (El-Bahnasa, Egypt).

Oxyrhynchus represents a key settlement for understanding the phenomena of continuity and transformation in the long transition to Christianity. The importance of this city and its religious panorama even after the Islamic conquest is testified by the wealth of textual and archaeological evidence un...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Martínez García, José Javier, Mascia, Leah
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Murcia
Repositorio:DIGITUM. Depósito Digital Institucional de la Universidad de Murcia
OAI Identifier:oai:digitum.um.es:10201/131984
Acceso en línea:https://doi.org/10.6018/imafronte.554061
http://hdl.handle.net/10201/131984
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Oxyrhynchus
Christianity
Basilica of St Philoxenos
Non textual graffiti
Drawing
Oxirrinco
Cristianismo
Basílica de San Filóxeno
Graffiti no textuales
Dibujos
CDU::9 - Geografía e historia::93 - Historia. Ciencias auxiliares de la historia. Archivista. Numismática. Paleografía. Diplomática
Descripción
Sumario:Oxyrhynchus represents a key settlement for understanding the phenomena of continuity and transformation in the long transition to Christianity. The importance of this city and its religious panorama even after the Islamic conquest is testified by the wealth of textual and archaeological evidence unearthed over more than one century of archaeological investigations. New essential testimonies are offered by the excavations carried out since 2013 by the Mission of the University of Barcelona within the area of a Christian religious complex (Sector 24), which has led to the discovery of a rich corpus of figural and textual graffiti. Some of this evidence was found painted or scratched on stone slabs, which were probably used in antiquity to seal the underground galleries of this religious building. After a brief introduction to the history of the site and the aforementioned Christian complex, the present contribution will offer an overview of a group of figural graffiti discovered in this area. Their examination in light of the textual and archaeological sources offered by this settlement and considering the parallels provided by other contemporary cultic spaces will offer some glimpses into the social and cultic background of the devotees visiting the holy site and leaving a trace of their passage on the walls of this sanctuary.