Limestone gravestone

Possibly from Thebes, Egypt
Coptic period, 8th century AD

'Young Mary'

Coptic gravestones vary widely in size, and this is one of the larger ones. It is decorated with the Coptic cross at the top, and with various scrolls and foliate patterns. The bird in the centre is a dove, a common image on such stelae. To the Copts the dove and the foliage were symbols of paradise. Above the dove is a short inscription, which reads, 'Young Mary: she entered into rest on the 10th day of [the month of] Tobe' (probably January).

H.R. Hall, Coptic and Greek texts of the (London, 1905)