The so-called “Names Stones” from Deir el-Medina in the IFAO collection: A research in progress

Among the non-literary Ramesside ostraca from Deir el-Medina kept in the IFAO collection, around 750 belong to the corpus of the so-called “name stones” (also known as “Namensteine”, “Namenostraka” or “tessères onomastiques”). “Name stones” can be defined as small pottery sherds or limestone flakes measuring a few centimeters high by a few centimeters wide, inscribed with a single anthroponym in hieratic. In rare cases, a title or a filiation is also given, probably to distinguish homonyms. Red ink is sometimes employed instead of the usual black. The talk aims to present the corpus, from a quantitative and qualitative perspectives, and to discuss the function of those so-called “Names Stones”, which actually are known outside Deir el-Medina and in later times.