The Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities and Tourism announced on Wednesday that a German-Egyptian mission at the Al-Sheikh Hamad archaeological site in Tel Atribis, Sohag, discovered a collection of 13,000 ostraca (clay vessel fragments) with engraved text in demotic, hieratic, Coptic, Greek, and Arabic.
“This is an important find since it gives insight on Atribis’ economy and commerce throughout history.”
According to Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the antiquities ministry’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, “the text indicates the financial activities of the area’s residents, who purchased and sold commodities such as wheat and bread.”
Archaeologists are currently researching the ostraca to understand more about the activities of the area’s ancient occupants, according to Christian Latis, leader of the German mission.
The language on the ostraca reveals that the region may have held a school for teaching demotic, hieratic, hieroglyphs, and Greek writing, according to Louis.
The team also discovered a collection of ostraca dating back to the Roman or Byzantine eras, according to Mohamed Abdel-Badia, head of the central department for Upper Egypt.
Atribis was one of the nine nomes of ancient Egypt’s ancient cities. It lies southwest of Sohag city, on the west bank of the Nile.
