(CE:334b-335a)

BANI HASAN AND SPEOS ARTEMIDOS, two groups of

tombs dug into the rock about 8 miles (13 km) south of the town of
Minya. The first group consists of hypogea of the eleventh and
twelfth dynasties and derives its name from the neighboring village,
Bani Hasan, which perpetuates the name of an Arabic tribe that
established itself there before spreading throughout the region.
The second group is about 2 miles (3 km) from the first, in a
valley called Valley of the Anchorites. Its mouth is close to a temple
built by Thutmose III and known as Speos Artemidos since the
Hellenistic period. (A general introduction is provided by Martin,
1971, pp. 61-64, and Meinardus, 1965, pp. 261-62, and 1977, pp.
368-69.)
At Bani Hasan, the Greek and Coptic inscriptions and the graffiti
were noted by the traveler F. Granger (1745, p. 130). They were
brought to the notice of the public by two English archaeologists, A.
H. Sayce (1881-1882, pp. 112-23) and P. E. Newberry (1894, pp.
65-68). An account of the monastic installations in these tombs is
given by A. Badawy (1953, pp. 66-89). The tomb of Nuternekht
(tomb 23) has on the north wall a Coptic alphabet, and for this
reason it has been thought that it perhaps served as a school. Tomb
28 was once a church, for it bears on the ceiling and on the east wall
the traces of an apse. A door has been opened up to effect
communication between this and tomb 30.
At Speos Artemidos, we must distinguish the speos itself and the
tombs or quarries that surround it from a wadi about a mile to the
south, the caves of which were inhabited by a colony of anchorites.
The former has been described by J. Capart (1930, p. 180). The
graffiti inscribed on these walls were published by R. Holthoer
(1976, pp. 97-99) and M. Martin (Martin, et al. 1971, pp. 79-81).
Martin estimates that the colony of monks came to install itself in
Speos Artemidos and the neighborhood at the beginning of the fifth
century, by reason of the form of the crosses engraved on the walls.
The installations in the wadi are perfectly preserved, with traces
of the external constructions. It is difficult to decide whether they
were used by cenobites or hermits.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Badawy, A. "Les Premiers tablissements chrtiens dans les
anciennes tombes d'Egypte." In Tome commmoratif du
millnaire de la Bibliothque patriarcate d'Alexandrie.
Alexandria, 1953.
Capart, J. "Coins ignors d'Egypte." Chronique d'Egypte 10
(1930):180ff.
Granger, F. Relation du voyage fait en Egypte, par le sieur Granger,
en l'anne 1730. Paris, 1745.
Holthoer, R. "Coptic Graffiti in Speos Artemidos." Studia Orientalia
45 (1976):97-99.
Martin, M., et al. La Laure de Der al-Dik Antino. Bibliothque
d'tudes coptes 8. Cairo, 1971.
Meinardus, O. Christian Egypt, Ancient and Modern. Cairo, 1965;
2nd ed., 1977.
Newberry, P. E. Beni Hasan, Vol. 2. London, 1894.
Sayce, A. H. "Coptic Inscriptions of Beni Hasan and Deir elMedineh." Proceedings of the Society of Biblical Archaeology 4
(1881-1882):117-23.
REN-GEORGES COQUIN
MAURICE MARTIN, S.J.