The commemorative idea

ⲡ̄ⲣ̄ⲡⲙⲉⲩⲉ. This is Coptic. During the Greco-Roman period, the Greek language became the official language of Egypt and Nubia as well. From the fourth century AD, the Egyptian Christians, known as the Copts, started to use their own language, Coptic. It represents the last stage of the ancient Egyptian language. The Coptic script used the Greek alphabet with some letters taken from the earlier Egyptian language (Demotic). Around the fifth century, the Coptic language started to be used in Nubia too. The Nubians used Coptic in many texts, beside Greek and their local language Old Nubian.

The Coptic word ⲡ̄ⲣ̄ⲡⲙⲉⲩⲉ (prpmeue) means commemoration or remembrance. This expression is characteristic of many tomb inscriptions in the very south of Egypt and the north of Nubia. Remembering the dead is an important element in liturgical Christian beliefs. This was expressed in prayers from the middle of the fourth century AD, and such prayers can still be heard in the Coptic Liturgy of Saint Basil today. The living people read the epitaphs to pray and ask God to remember the deceased on the day of their death. Interestingly, the present text should have contained the word for “day” (ⲡϩⲟⲟⲩ) in line 3, but it seems the scribe forgot to write this word.

So, this stone of remembrance was made for Martha…