Women's Letters from Ancient Egypt, 300 BC-AD 800

by Roger S. Bagnall, Raffaella Cribiore

More than three hundred letters written in Greek and Egyptian by women in Egypt in the millennium from Alexander the Great to the Arab conquest survive on papyrus and pottery. Written by women from various walks of life, they shed light on critical social aspects of life in Egypt after the pharaohs. Roger S. Bagnall and Raffaella Cribiore collect the best preserved letters in translation and set them in their paleographic, linguistic, social, and economic contexts. The authors' analysis suggests that women's habits, interests, and means of expression were a product more of their social and economic standing than of specifically gender-related concerns or behavior. They present theoretical discussions about the handwriting and language of the letters, the education and culture of the writers' everyday concerns and occupations. Numerous illustrations display the varieties of handwriting.
 

Genres: Nonfiction, History

440 pages, Paperback

First published June 26, 2006

Reviews

[gillian]

Good translations and explanations with relevant context, genuinely enjoyed!

[Michael Bacon]

Read this out of curiosity and did not finish. It's interesting getting an insight into the lives of people living long ago, but collections of private correspondence like this can be a bit dull because 99% of what people discuss in them is business. Where you can read between the lines to learn more about ancient life, it's fascinating. But it can take a bit of trawling.

[Kaitrin]

top favs all time. in the words of two of the most prolific musical talents of all time (avril lavigine and kanye west, respectively) "everything changes" and also "Everything in the world is exactly the same"

read dancing for hathor alongside this also