October 5, 2025

A New Demotic–Hieratic Horoscopic Ostracon from the EAO/SCA 1993/94 Archaeological Campaign at Athribis (O. Athribis no. 271)

Key Points

The analysis reveals that O. Athribis no. 271 is a unique demotic-hieratic horoscope, enhancing our understanding of ancient Egyptian astrology.
Found during the 1993/94 excavation at Athribis, the text shows an unusual structure compared to other horoscopic records from the site.
The ostracon is currently housed in Sheikh Hamad's museum storeroom, emphasizing the site's rich archaeological heritage.
This new find contributes valuable data to the horoscopic corpus related to the reign of Augustus, further opening avenues for research.

Abstract

This paper presents the edition and analysis of O. Athribis no. 271, which was found among a large group of ostraca written mostly in Demotic, alongside some hieratic, Coptic, and Greek, during the 1993/94 excavation season of the Egyptian Antiquities Organization/Supreme Council of Antiquities at the site of Athribis in Upper Egypt. O. Athribis no. 271 was found on 1 February 1994 in square e:-8, level 1, located to the north of the ascending path of the temple of Ptolemy XII, and is now kept in the museum storeroom of Sheikh Hamad (Sohag). The text on the ostracon is a Demotic–hieratic horoscope that can be identified as part of a large horoscopic corpus from Athribis dating to the reign of Augustus. Its structure is unusual within this corpus, and therefore constitutes a valuable addition to it.

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