These lines constitute the beginning and end of a letter, written on papyrus in a dialect of the Coptic Egyptian language and dating to the middle of the fourth century CE.2 The letter would not have been known today had it not been discovered by excavators at Ismant el-Kharab, now a sand-covered ruin in an oasis west in Egypt, once a prosperous…
Imagine a world in which there is only one history to watch, read, or listen to. If you find this idea difficult, then you have understood something important about history: that there is never just one version of it on offer. Some people might not like this idea, and try to refute it, but no matter how much they argue, or even work to destroy histories, they will be unsuccessful. We live with …