Inscriptions and Papyri
The chapter analyses naming practices and onomastic patterns in inscriptions and papyri from the Ptolemaic and the Roman periods in Egypt from a quantitative and comparative perspective. A number of examples of individuals who appear in both types of document are discussed. The primary difference between the two types of document are that papyri are directed to a limited audience (whether a single person in letters or contracts or groups of people in administrative documents) for a limited period of time (ranging from an invitation to dinner on a specific day to documents addressed to several generations for the sale of a house), whereas inscriptions are meant to be public and enduring. With the exception of graffiti, inscriptions, often erected on ceremonial or festive occasions when leading persons were present. also tend to show us the upper classes and an official version of the relevant events.