Book contents
- Monastic Economies in Late Antique Egypt and Palestine
- Monastic Economies in Late Antique Egypt and Palestine
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Preface
- 1 The Monastic Economies in Late Antique Egypt and Palestine: Past, Present, and Future
- I. The Monastic Estate
- II. Production and Consumption of Food and Material Goods
- 5 Monastic Vintages: The Economic Role of Wine in Egyptian Monasteries in the Sixth to Eighth Centuries
- 6 Cooking, Baking, and Serving: A Window into the Kitchen of Egyptian Monastic Households and the Archaeology of Cooking
- 7 The Refectory and the Kitchen in the Early Byzantine Monastery of Tell Bi’a (Syria): The Egyptian and Palestinian Connections
- 8 It’s a Dung Job: Exploring Fuel Disc Production in Egyptian Monasteries
- 9 Illuminating the Scriptoria: Monastic Book Production at the Medieval Monastery of St Michael
- III. Monastic Encounters: Travel, Pilgrimage, and Donations
- Glossary
- Index
- References
8 - It’s a Dung Job: Exploring Fuel Disc Production in Egyptian Monasteries
from II. - Production and Consumption of Food and Material Goods
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 14 April 2023
Book contents
- Monastic Economies in Late Antique Egypt and Palestine
- Monastic Economies in Late Antique Egypt and Palestine
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Preface
- 1 The Monastic Economies in Late Antique Egypt and Palestine: Past, Present, and Future
- I. The Monastic Estate
- II. Production and Consumption of Food and Material Goods
- 5 Monastic Vintages: The Economic Role of Wine in Egyptian Monasteries in the Sixth to Eighth Centuries
- 6 Cooking, Baking, and Serving: A Window into the Kitchen of Egyptian Monastic Households and the Archaeology of Cooking
- 7 The Refectory and the Kitchen in the Early Byzantine Monastery of Tell Bi’a (Syria): The Egyptian and Palestinian Connections
- 8 It’s a Dung Job: Exploring Fuel Disc Production in Egyptian Monasteries
- 9 Illuminating the Scriptoria: Monastic Book Production at the Medieval Monastery of St Michael
- III. Monastic Encounters: Travel, Pilgrimage, and Donations
- Glossary
- Index
- References
Summary
Fuel is one of the key daily commodities needed for heating, cooking, and also industries. It comes in different forms, such as wood/charcoal, plants, and plant wastes. However, above all, animal dung was the most common fuel in the ancient world, including Egypt. So far, an in-depth exploration of dung fuel in Egypt has been lacking. Coptic monastic texts do refer to brethren tasked with sourcing dung that may have been intended for fuel use. Archaeological evidence of actual dung discs has been recovered from the monastic settlements of Deir Anba Hadra, John the Little, and Kom el-Nana. The same sites have also revealed archaeobotanical material that also attests to the production and/or use of animal dung fuel. This chapter discusses methodological concerns in identifying the archaeological evidence of dung fuel, and reviews the history of animal dung fuel in Egypt, focusing on its production and use in Egyptian monasteries.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Monastic Economies in Late Antique Egypt and Palestine , pp. 212 - 232Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2023
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