Religious Diversity in the Egyptian Desert: New Findings from the Dakhleh Oasis

• Main Author: Mattias Brand
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: CERES / KHK Bochum 2017-07-01
• Series: Entangled Religions - Interdisciplinary Journal for the Study of Religious Contact and Transfer
• Subjects: Christianity; Manichaeism; Dakhleh Oasis; history of religion
• Online Access: https://er.ceres.rub.de/index.php/ER/article/view/689

New archaeological and papyrological discoveries in the Egyptian desert are destined to impact the study of religion in late antiquity. This extended review of An Oasis City (2015) will highlight some of most important findings related to the religious diversity of the region. The tremendous wealth of the new discoveries offers insight into the development of religion during the later Roman Empire. Building on this archaeological overview of Amheida (ancient Trimithis in the Dakhleh Oasis), this paper discusses the local situation of Egyptian religion, Christianity, and Manichaeism in late antiquity, with a particular focus on religious diversity and interaction in everyday life.