Letters, Letter Writing and Economy in the New Ostraca from Late Antique Ephesus

Excavations carried out by the Austrian Archaeological Institute (ÖAI) between the years 2011 and 2016 retrieved approx. 100 incised potsherds from the ruins of late antique Ephesus (4th–7th century). These ceramic fragments bear scratched inscriptions (exclusively in Greek) and were found close together at two sites: on the one hand, in the front of the entrance area of the church that was erected in the 4th/5th century on the foundations (within in the cella) of the so-called Serapeion; on the other hand, in the rooms of the newly excavated late antique residence adjacent to the church of Mary to the south. Approx. a half of the new inscribed potsherds have to be assigned to the category of ostraca, as – once broken – every sherd of this group was used for writing short business letters, instructions or accounts. 24 inscribed potsherds of such content have already come to light at the so-called Tomb of Lukas, on the southern outskirts of Ephesus and have been published by Hans Taeuber in 2010. The already known and newly found ostraca from Ephesus deserve special attention since no similar ostraca from Western Asia Minor has been published so far. This paper gives a systematic overview of the new ostraca from Ephesus, pointing out their historical value with emphasis on everyday writing practices and business activities within the city.