Cultic Practices in Byzantine Oxyrhynchus. Graffiti from the Church of the Monastery of St. Kyriakos

The present study aims to provide a thorough analysis of the graffiti identified within and in the surroundings of the church of the monastic complex of Saint Kyriakos at Oxyrhynchus, Egypt. A heterogeneous corpus of epigraphic evidence is examined, counting lists of personal names and commemorative texts. These texts provide valuable insights into writing and cultic practices within this religious institution in the Byzantine phase. Particular attention is devoted to the analysis of writing techniques and the tools selected for the production of these graffiti, as well as to the identification of their potential authors, suggesting the active participation of members of the monastic community as well as devotees visiting the religious complex. In addition, the study examines some examples of multigraphic graffiti, in which textual and figurative elements are combined, among which are Christian religious markers and motifs recurrent in the Egyptian iconographic tradition.