Karanis: understanding religious activity and identity in legacy archaeology
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In 1895, David Hogarth and Bernard Grenfell began excavations at Karanis primarily in search of papyri. In the 1920s, after the site had laid dormant for decades, the University of Michigan went there to perform more systematic excavations. My thesis re-examines the data from both excursions to Karanis, studying specifically the archaeology of religion, in an effort to provide further analysis by means of more modern archaeological theories and thinking. It specifically discusses the two temples of the site, the North and South Temples, and select buildings from the South Temple precinct. I reach conclusions regarding the dating of several structures, the identity of resident deities, ritual activity and identity, and the role of Christians on the later stages of the temples’ development.