Since the 1960s, hundreds of Greek and Coptic graffiti and dipinti of varying length, contents, and interest that have been discovered by French and Swiss missions at the various monastic settlements in and near Kellia. Instead of focusing on the more or less interesting contents of the inscriptions, This chapter proposes a reading of the Kellia inscriptions as monastic epigraphy, that is, as witnesses to monastic life and practices. It first briefly sketches the characteristics of what could be called the “monastic revolution” in epigraphy. It then presents three examples from the Kellia corpus of mural inscriptions to illustrate specific aspects of monastic epigraphy as it was part of the cultural practices of northern Egyptian monasticism. It ends with some conclusions that will not confirm the interpretation of the Kellia graffti as acts of vandalism.
Writing and Communication in Early Egyptian Monasticism, edited by M. Choat and M. Giorda, 2017
