This article is from Ancient Egypt issue 144
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Fragments of four letters have been discovered at Berenike on the Red Sea coast. They were written on papyrus by Roman commanders stationed in Egypt in the reign of Nero (AD 54-68) and name three centurions: Haosus, Lucinius, and Petronius. The find was made by a team from the Polish University of Wrocław in Poland, excavating a large pet cemetery. They have so far discovered more than 500 dog, cat, and monkey burials, and a pit containing two calves, which may have been the first animal burials at the site.
Text: Sarah Griffiths
