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REVIEW BY MICHAEL TUNNICLIFFE
This work comprises 14 essays spanning the late Roman Period to the present day, focusing on the daily life of the Copts, who have always been a minority community. The aim is to understand daily concerns through issues such as poverty and power, identity, and resilience. The first two contributions examine the late Roman Period before Christianity became the official religion of the empire. The attitudes of Clement of Alexandria, the first great scholar of the Alexandrian School, are examined in respect to matters of gender, clothes, and food. Letters from the early 4th century illustrate domestic and business life within a somewhat dysfunctional family in the region of Coptos. Archaeological finds from a relatively small site in the Dakhla Oasis dating to the early 4th century provide evidence for the building of a new basilica-style church at the same time as the pagan temple was turned into a workspace. It provides evidence for a transitional moment in Egyptian history.
Throughout their history, Copts have faced pressures from those in power. One essay focuses on life during the last period of Roman persecution under the pagan emperor Diocletian, at the beginning of the 4th century. Another analyses the sumptuary laws imposed with the coming of Islam. The artistic tradition is important in Coptic culture, and two essays explore modern exponents, including a series of ten icons produced between 2011 and 2017 by Victor Assad Fakhoury portraying the Arab Spring of 2011, which was followed by terrible attacks on Coptic churches and individuals. Martyrdom is not a thing of the past! Many Copts now live in the diaspora in Europe and North America, and they face the pressing problem of how to relate their faith and customs to modern life in the West, issues explored in the final chapters.
I recommend this book as a wide-ranging collection of pieces covering 1,800 years of history. It will open windows on a neglected aspect of Egyptian life. The volume contains extensive footnotes and bibliography for each contribution.
Coptic Culture and Community: Daily Lives, Changing Times
edited by Mariam F Ayad
American University in Cairo Press, 2024
ISBN 978-1-649-03182-2
Hardback £60
