Papyri Fragments

Art Historical Context

These delicate *Papyri Fragments* 7th-century Coptic Egypt offer a rare glimpse into the daily life and literacy of early medieval Christian communities in the Nile Valley. Crafted by an unknown artist using ink on papyrus—a lightweight, plant-based material derived from the Nile's reeds that had been the backbone of Egyptian writing for millennia—these fragments exemplify the enduring tradition of documentary production. Framed at 11¼ x 15 inches, now reside in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Medieval Art Department, acquired through the Rogers Fund in 1912. As classified papyrus documents,...