Ostrakon from the Brethren (?) to John

Ostrakon from the Brethren (?) to John

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Ostraca Ostraca are texts written on broken pottery, which were employed when parchment was unavailable or too expensive. At Epiphanius a large number of ostraca were discovered in the monastery, including in its rubbish heaps; they record biblical verses, legal documents, sermons, financial accounts, school texts, and letters requesting assistance and prayers. Some reveal that, even at the southernmost border of the Empire, people were still aware of events in the capital, Constantinople. Ostracon from the Brethren (?) to John Be so kind: thou knowest we have besought thy brothership for the solidus (worth) of linen; hitherto thou hast delayed. Be so kind, give all the money unto John, that the man may come and find it ready, lest the brother be troubled. Give it unto our brother John; from the brethren.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Ostrakon from the Brethren (?) to JohnOstrakon from the Brethren (?) to JohnOstrakon from the Brethren (?) to JohnOstrakon from the Brethren (?) to JohnOstrakon from the Brethren (?) to John

The Museum's collection of medieval and Byzantine art is among the most comprehensive in the world. Displayed in both The Met Fifth Avenue and in the Museum's branch in northern Manhattan, The Met Cloisters, the collection encompasses the art of the Mediterranean and Europe from the fall of Rome in the fourth century to the beginning of the Renaissance in the early sixteenth century. It also includes pre-medieval European works of art created during the Bronze Age and early Iron Age.