Re)constructing Coptic Lives in Late Antiquity: Object Itineraries

Museum displays play an important role in publicly reconstructing ancient lives, being the first point of contact that many people today will have of different time periods and places. The following study draws upon the concepts of object biography and, particularly, object itinerary, to examine three objects today on display in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The objects all come from the same area of Egypt, western Thebes in the seventh century, but today are on display with material from other areas of the late antique Mediterranean world. Through discussion of what information is presented about these objects and exploration of what can be reconstructed about their history, their itineraries can be used both as evidence for Coptic lives in antiquity, as well as modern collecting practices, and how meaning and association change throughout the course of their journeys.