Trade and Economy
Excerpt from papyrus
Byzantine period, 554-585 ADThis excerpt from the Aphrodito papyri of the 6th century AD provides a glimpse into the flax economy on the Egyptian estate of the Greek landlord Dioscorus. It reveals a market-driven system where flax was primarily a cottage industry, with payments varying widely based on negotiation. Landlords often established larger plantations with hired labor, enabling them to pay taxes in gold instead of the lower rates applied when taxes were paid in kind with linen.
Aphrodito Papyri, Byzantine Egypt, 6th Century AD.
Bibliography
Blouin, K. (2014) Flax Growing in Late Antique Egypt: Evidence from the Aphrodito Papyri. In Textile Society of America Symposium Proceedings, Paper 10. Available at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/egyptextiles/10/ (Accessed: 11 December 2024).
Model boat and figures
Middle Kingdom, ca. 2100-1700 BCThis wooden model, often included among the grave goods of nobles and government officials, represents an Egyptian vessel used for transporting goods such as linen. The boat features seated figures that would have rowed the vessel, along with a mast designed to hold a linen sail. Linen, therefore, played a dual role in the Egyptian economy as both a significant trade good and a means of facilitating trade.
Preserved in the Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minnesota. (16.496).
Bibliography
Minneapolis Institute of Art (n.d.) Model Boat and Figures. Available at: https://collections.artsmia.org/art/100/model-boat-and-figures-ancient-egyptian (Accessed: 11 December 2024).
Ostraca with oath to pay for tunic
New Kingdom, Ramessid eraThis hieratic ostracon pottery contains an oath on behalf of one Penrennutet to pay for a linen tunic within 10 days. It serves as evidence not only of the use of practices such as giving ‘IOUs’ to pay for goods, but also indicates that linen could be an expensive but essential commodity, requiring credit and promissory notes as payment.
Preserved in Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London. (LDUCE-UC32054).
Bibliography
Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology (n.d.) Ostracon with Oath to Pay for Tunic. Available at: https://collections.ucl.ac.uk/Details/collect/40152 (Accessed: 11 December 2024).