Two Coptic Inscriptions on Mural Paintings at the Coptic Museum

This article concerns the re-edition of two Coptic inscriptions inscribed on mural paintings from the monastery of Saint Jeremiah at Saqqara. They may be dated to the time span of two centuries, corresponding from the sixth to the eighth century CE. Both inscriptions have been kept in the magazine of the Coptic Museum of Cairo. The first one, number 10882 (Saqq. IV, 319), records a prayer to God imploring him to watch over hermits with a request for commemoration. The second one, number 8449 (Saqq. IV, 313), refers to a name-list of monks, brothers of the service or ministry. These texts inscribed on the murals are studied to provide further aspects on the organization of monastic communities in the area and region of Lower Egypt. Considered as samples of monastic epigraphy in the form of mural inscription, they connect the use of this monastic custom to the principles of monasticism. Thus, by exploring the evidence in terms of the language inscribed with the mural art as part of the architectural features present in the settlements, the history and artistic heritage – associated with the monks concerned or the people involved – become a multitask challenge for the field of Coptic Archaeology. [Formula: see text]