SSCN Voumes 1-10, 1994-2004

St. Shenouda Coptic Newsletter

included three papers that dealt primarily with the excavations of the PCA in Naqlun or Deir al- Malak Ghobrial. The first paper was by Dr. Czaja-Szewczak, titled, Tunics from Naqlun . It dealt again with another aspect of the admirable excavation of the PCA in Naqlun, or Deir al- Malak. The author here discussed her area of expertise, which was the clothes found in the excavation. She provided many visual examples of the material found and discussed the decorations found and the weaving techniques observed. This was the first of three papers that described the objects found in the excavation of the team outside the Church. The second paper was by Prof. Gaubert, titled: The Unpublished Archives of Girga . This paper was read in French by its author. It dealt with an archive of 51 Arabic documents that was found at Naqlun in 1997, during one of the excavation seasons of the PCA in the area. The archive belonged to a Coptic family known as Banu Bifam, who was living in the village of Damuya al- Lahun, a few kilometers east of the Monastery. They are dated from AD 992 to AD 1029, the early part of the Fatimid period. The archive shows how this family was increasing its wealth, through buying and selling land as well as selling the land production. These activities provide an insight into how this rural area of al-Fayoum was functioning economically at the time. It also shows how the Moslem community there was gaining in number as time went one, and as the Islamization of the country was growing. The third and final paper in this session was by Prof. Gaubert's wife, Dr. Mossakowska-Gauber, titled, Glass Objects from the Polish Excavations at Deir al-Malak Goubrial . This paper was also read in French by its author. This was the second paper dealing with the objects discovered at the PCA excavation at Naqlun. In this case, it was the glass objects found, which numbered 36 mostly in the form of flasks. They were found in 30 burials out of 340 that were identified so far in the excavation, dating from the 11 th to the 13 th Century. The discovery of these items at the site

made their dating simpler and more specific, because their production techniques and decorations would have been common from Roman to Islamic times. The paper included survey and description of the types of glass found. According to the author, these, along with the other items found there, can provide interesting information about the socio-economic status of the Coptic population of al-Fayoum in the medieval period. In such respect, this is still work- in-progress project. Session Six, February 9, 2004; Chairman: Prof. Anne Boud'hors. This session, according to the printed schedule had three papers. However, a fourth one was added at the last moment. The original three papers also primarily dealt with the excavations of the PCA in Naqlun or Deir al- Malak. The first was the unscheduled paper by H.G. Bishop Martyrus, titled: The Monastic Linkage between Wadi al-Natrun and al-Fayoum . This short paper surveyed the different personalities that began their monastic life in Scetis or Wadi al-Natrun and then moved to Al- Fayoum area. St. Samuel of Kalamun is the most distinguished name in the group. He also mentioned that 120 monasteries existed in the region at the time of Pope Benjamin and how the 11 th Century witnessed the destruction of the monasteries in the area. A fact that archeological finds are now supporting! The second was by the Director of the Excavation, Prof. Godlewski, titled: The Coptic Cemetery of Fatimid and Ayyubid Period on Site A at Deir al-Malak Goubrial . In this paper, the author presented a report on the actual excavation of the cemetery, done by the PCA. The cemetery revealed burials of lay members only, neither monks nor clergy were found. This substantiated the opinion that this cemetery began after the monastery was destroyed. Coffins were either in solid wood or plaited crates with basketry wrapping around them. Painted crosses were sporadically found. Among the items found were; linen wrapping with Arabic inscriptions, glass vessels, folded tunics, pillows, shawls, silk woven

St. Shenouda Coptic Newsletter

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