An interdisciplinary database of proper names in late pharaonic, Graeco-Roman and Byzantine Egypt (ca. 800BC - AD640).

This project aims to create a database of all proper names attested in texts found in Egypt, between roughly 800 BC and AD 800, the date range of the interdisciplinary platform Trismegistos (www.trismegistos.org), with which it is closely connected. Included are anthroponyms, toponyms, and theonyms, as well as various other, smaller categories. According to the language and script of the sources, the approach will be differentiated. For texts in Egyptian, no full text database is available, which implies that data entry will be largely manual, building upon work done in the course of earlier projects. For Greek and Latin we cooperate with the Duke Database of Documentary Papyri (DDbDP) which has the complete text of all published papyrological material. We will develop a computer programme to filter out the names and tag the desired material. A digital approach will greatly accelerate data creation, allowing to deal with the 55000 texts in the full text database. The final result will be a very powerful tool to study the development of onomastics in Egypt from 800 BC to AD 800.

Keywords:Byzantine Egypt, Graeco-Roman, Late pharaonic, Proper names, Interdisciplinary database

Disciplines:History