Tebtynis

Cooperation between the joint Università degli Studi di Milano – Institut français d’archéologie orientale (IFAO) archaeological mission in Tebtynis, Egypt, and the Laboratory of Papyrology and Epigraphy (ERPE).
Since 2000, the Laboratory of Papyrology and Epigraphy of the University of Crete has appointed Dr. Nikos Litinas, a papyrologist and a specialist in restoration of papyri and ostraca, to participate as a team member in an Archaeological Mission under the direction of Professor Claudio Gallazzi at Umm-el-Breigat (Tebtynis) during the months of September and October each year. Dr. Litinas have been responsible for identification, cataloguing, registration, storage, restoration and conservation of the papyri, ostraca and other writing materials found during the excavations. On average this amounts to ca. 400 papyrus fragments or rolls of various sizes and ca. 300 ostraca per year (in various languages, Hieratic, Hieroglyphic, Demotic, Greek, Coptic and Arabic). Moreover, he supervises the archaeological work and is responsible for the archaeological excavations in various sectors in the ancient village.
Dr. Litinas has published an edition of the notations written on the vessels, usually amphoras (Vessels’ Notations from Tebtynis, IFAO, Cairo 2008) and three chapters in the volume Scripta Varia, IFAO, Cairo 2011 concerning the inscriptions or graffiti on stone and texts carved on wood and glass. He has also written the entries for various archaeological objects published in Cl. Gallazzi – G. Hadji-Minaglou (επιμ.), Trésors inattendus. 30 ans de fouilles et de cooperation à Tebtynis (Fayoum). Now he prepares an edition of 214 ostraca and an edition of Greek papyri found in the excavations.
Since 2008 a postgraduate student from the University of Crete participates in the excavations and works with Dr. Litinas, in the restoration of the papyri and other writing materials, and in the archaeological site supervising the archaeological work. In 2008 and 2010 Panagiota Vlachaki and in 2009 Konstantinos Tasoulas, both graduate students of the Department of Philology and postgraduate students of the Department of History and Archaeology, participated.

Publications

Nikos Litinas, Tebtynis III. Vessels’ Notations from Tebtynis, Le Caire, Institut français d’archeologie orientale, Le Caire, 2008, ISBN 978-2-7247-0467-9.

Nikos Litinas, “Textes grecs. a. Inscriptions and Graffiti”, nos 55-65, σελ. 59-74 στο: Cl. Gallazzi (επιμ.), Τebtynis VI. Scripta Varia. Textes hiéroglyphiques, hiératiques, démotiques, araméens, grecs et coptes sur différents supports (S.V. Tebt. I), IFAO, Le Caire, 2018, FIFAO 78.

Nikos Litinas, “Textes grecs. b. Stamps and Seals”, nos 66-71, σελ. 74-81 στο: Cl. Gallazzi (επιμ.), Τebtynis VI. Scripta Varia. Textes hiéroglyphiques, hiératiques, démotiques, araméens, grecs et coptes sur différents supports (S.V. Tebt. I), IFAO, Le Caire, 2018, FIFAO 78.

Nikos Litinas, “Textes grecs. c. Verres”, no 72, σελ. 82-83 στο: Cl. Gallazzi (επιμ.), Τebtynis VI. Scripta Varia. Textes hiéroglyphiques, hiératiques, démotiques, araméens, grecs et coptes sur différents supports (S.V. Tebt. I), IFAO, Le Caire, 2018, FIFAO 78.

Nikos Litinas, Entries nos 12 (cuillère), 78 (figurine d’Athena), 140 (balle), 141 (toupie), 142 (fronde), 144 (poupée), 145 (poupée), 146 (poupée), 147 (oiseau en terre cuite), 148 (cheval en terre cuite), 166 (stele à inscription démotique), 167 (inscription grecque), 168 (palette de scribe), 169 (calame), 170 (ostracon hiératique : exercise scolaire ?), 172 (ostracon grec : exercise scolaire), 173 (ostracon grec : reçu), 176 (amphore inscrite), 177 (timbre amphorique), 178 (timbre amphorique latin), 179 (os avec texte démotique : compte), 183 (papyrus grecs : billets oraculaires), 184 (papyrus grecs : lettre), 185 (papyrus grec : reçus), στο: Cl. Gallazzi – G. Hadji-Minaglou (επιμ.), Trésors inattendus. 30 ans de fouilles et de cooperation à Tebtynis (Fayoum), BiGén 57, IFAO, Le Caire. 2019.