In 1913-1914, English papyrologist John de Monins Johnson excavated the Egyptian city of Antinooupolis on behalf of the Egyptian Exploration Society. Antinooupolis (Ἀντινόου πόλις) was founded as a Greek polis by emperor Hadrian in 130 CE in honour of his friend Antinoos, who is said to have drowned nearby in the Nile. Johnson was on a hunt for papyri and papyri he did find. Many of these unearthed papyri were published in the three-part Antinoopolis Papyri series in the 1950s and 1960s, although the famous "Antinoe Theocritus" papyrus was published in 1930. 

In addition to papyri, these excavations yielded other objects such as coins, textiles, hairpins, and metal tools that have been given almost no attention. Included among these "lesser" finds were two socks made of wool, now housed in the British Museum: 

Sock no. 1 above would have been worn by an adult on his or her right foot. There is a separation between the big toe and four other toes. This sock is made of wool and has been radiocarbon dated to 100-350 CE. One interesting thing to note is that the impression of the sandal thong is still visible!

Sock no. 2 above is a child's left-foot sock, and the obvious distinction from sock no. 1 is that it is made of 6-7 different colors. Like sock no. 1, this sock separates the big toe from the other four and is made of wool. This one is a little more intricate in design (click to enlarge). It has been radiocarbon dated to 200-400 CE. 

So, did the ancient Egyptians wear socks? Of course they did. Simple objects like these two socks give us a glimpse into how ancient people lived their lives. And while Johnson and others were apparently not very interested in these "minor" finds, they are now being studied as part of a collaborative project called Antinoupolis at the British Museum, which is being led by Elisabeth R. O'Connell, Assistant Keeper (Curator) in the Department of Ancient Egypt and Sudan with responsibility for Roman and Late Antique collections. This project will make available unpublished objects from Johnson's 1913-1914 excavations, as well as Johnson's unpublished excavation documentation. So, be on the lookout for more textiles, shoes, lamps, coins, figures, and—my favourite—a wooden clapper!

P.Oxy. 42.3035 is a third century papyrus from Oxyrhynchus that explicitly identifies a certain Petosorapis as a Christian. It is thus the earliest reference to a Christian from Egypt in documentary papyri. Petosorapis is wanted at trial for some reason that is not mentioned. According to AnneMarie Luijendijk, "This papyrus, P.Oxy. 42.3035, introduced the first Christian from the Oxyrhynchite nome known by name and patronym in a dated text. It summons 'Petosorapis, son of Horus, Christian" to appear before the president of the Oxyrhynchus city council [=prytanis]. The fact that it describes him as Christian may indicate his profession as a clergy; in any case, it presumes that Petosorapis had a distinction as a Christian. The reason for his being wanted remains unclear. Does the involvement of the prytanis lead to the suspicion that Petosorapis had problems paying his taxes or that he was implicated by an imperial edict against Christians? In any case, the note constitutes important evidence for Christians at the Oxyrhynchite countryside in the mid-third century" (Greetings in the Lord: Early Christians and the Oxyrhynchus Papyri [Cambridge: HUP, 2008], 184).

P.Turner 43 is a third century private letter from Ammonianus to Moros, written on the back of a medical catechesis (see P.Turner 14). Ammonianus is responding to a letter previously sent to him by Moros who apparently complained about the delay of services. What is interesting is the discussion of a certain linen-weaver about halfway through the letter. Ammonianus asks Moros to send some linens and then alludes to a linen-weaver who is apparently hard to get a hold of. Moros had previously told Ammonianus that this particular linen-weaver is "like wherever the ravens fly." This little proverb or idiom, however we should think of it, is so far unattested elsewhere. But what does it mean? According to Nikos Litinas, "Ammonianus attributes a characteristic of the ravens to this linen-weaver, namely that he probably disappears and gets lost. And finally he adds his after-thought that he expects Moros to say that there is a lack of linen-weavers and so it is not so easy to find others" (BASP 41, 2004, 117). 

So, why was this weaver so difficult to find? Ammonianus seems to know that linen-weavers were sparse where Moros lived, so it is possible that the notorious linen-weaver's services were in high-demand. In other words, he may have been difficult to find because he was avoiding further work. 

Be sure to watch this fascinating video concerning the conservation of the books and manuscripts of St. Catherine's Monastery as well as the renovation of some of its buildings. The video features Father Justin, the librarian of the monastery, which is one of the oldest monasteries in the world.