Mutlilingualism and multigraphia in the ancient Mediterranean: the case of Naukratis

Naukratis was a significant port of trade on the Canopic branch of the Nile Delta.

The site is known for, among other things, for the establishment of Greek sometime in the late 7th century BC, and for the foundation of multiple Greek sanctuaries, securely identified though their votive inscriptions. This bustling port of trade, administered by the Egyptian authorities, has produced a very rich record of graffiti and other inscriptions, in many different languages and writing systems.

The paper will explore aspects of how this multilingual presence at Naukratis is reflected on the site's archaeological and epigraphic record, with an emphasis on Cypriot syllabic and Phoenician evidence. The main questions to be addressed are:

• How do the new graffiti relate to the rest of the (predominantly alphabetic Greek) writing from Naukratis?
• What types of Cypriot writing practices do they reflect and how do they compare to the epigraphic habits of Cyprus?
• Are Phoenician inscriptions indicative of Cypriot literacy?
• What is the social context of Cypriot-Syllabic and Phoenician writing?
• Does the attestation of Cypriot Syllabic and Phoenician graffiti at Naukratis affect our understanding of the way alphabetic Greek was used and did the relationship change over time?
• What is the nature of (multi)literacy among the multilingual population? What levels of interaction do the graffiti suggest?
• How do graffiti complement our understanding of Cypriot and Phoenician presence and activity at Naukratis?
• How does their function and contextualization compare to that of other groups of evidence (e.g. statuettes and fine wares)?