The Care for the Vulnerable in Egypt: a Fetal Burial at Oxyrhynchus
The Upper Necropolis of Oxyrhynchus has been used for more than 1,000 years, from the Saite period (650 BC) until the arrival of the Arabs (646 AD). The Byzantine-era tombs are mudbrick crypts, which were accessed through a pit that led to a chamber with a vaulted ceiling, where the deceased were de...
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| Formato: | Artículo publishedVersion |
| Lenguaje: | Español |
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Instituto de Historia Antigua Oriental, Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, UBA
2023
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| Acceso en línea: | https://revistascientificas.filo.uba.ar/index.php/rihao/article/view/13744 https://repositoriouba.sisbi.uba.ar/gsdl/cgi-bin/library.cgi?a=d&c=rihao&d=13744_oai |
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| Sumario: | The Upper Necropolis of Oxyrhynchus has been used for more than 1,000 years, from the Saite period (650 BC) until the arrival of the Arabs (646 AD). The Byzantine-era tombs are mudbrick crypts, which were accessed through a pit that led to a chamber with a vaulted ceiling, where the deceased were deposited in various layers until the structure was clogged. During the 2021 season, crypts 1, 2, 3 and 4 were excavated in sector 36, whose individuals represent all age groups: from neonates to senile. The treatment observed in the burials implies a thanatopraxic care towards members of all classes, including the most exposed: infants and the elderly. The novelty is a funerary deposit exceptional in Oxyrhynchus: a kitchen pot where a five-month-old fetus was placed, wrapped in tissues and fastened with ribbons. Although infant burials in ceramic vessels are not unknown in Egypt, they are not common at Oxyrhynchus. This funerary practice demonstrates a special sensitivity towards a vulnerable and almost invisible sector of the population –the unborn– and a symbolism between the pot and the maternal womb. |
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