From Agnieszka Szymczak <agnieszka.szymczak@uw.edu.pl>:linebreak===========================linebreaklinebreakAt the upcoming PCMA Seminar, Dr Ina Eichner (Department of Classical Studies, Austrian Archaeological Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna) will deliver a lecture: “The monastery of Deir el-Bachît in Western Thebes/Upper Egypt and a brief look at Byzantium”.linebreaklinebreakAbstract: The Deir el-Bachit Monastery (Monastery of St. Paul) is located on the Theban west bank of the Nile, on the hill of Dra Abu el-Naga. It consists of several older outer structures (6th century) and a central, so-called main monastery built later in a prominent location on the ridge, which was inhabited by Coptic monks from the late 6th/early 7th century until around the end of the 9th/beginning of the 10th century. Excavations took place from 2003 to 2021, during which numerous rooms and buildings were unearthed, some with well-preserved interior finishes made of mud. Despite its location far from the Mediterranean, some elements are found that are similar to those in Byzantine monasteries, demonstrating that Egypt participated in the Mediterranean developments of architecture and the Mediterranean way of life during Late Antiquity and Early Islam.linebreaklinebreakThe seminar will take place on Thursday, 18 June, at 2 pm (Warsaw time) on Zoom.linebreakTo receive the link, please contact: seminarium.pcma@uw.edu.pllinebreaklinebreakThe seminar series “Local Traditions, Shared Faith: Early Christianity in Comparative Perspective” is a thematic series within the PCMA Seminar. The series is organized by Dr. Aleksandra Pawlikowska-Gwiazda (National Museum in Warsaw), the head of the PCMA UW expedition to Sheikh Abd el-Qurna (Egypt). The event brings together scholarslinebreakworking on Early Christianity and monasticism across the Eastern Mediterranean and adjacent regions from Late Antiquity to the early Islamic period.linebreaklinebreakThis information can be found on the PCMA website:linebreakhttps://pcma.uw.edu.pl/en/2026/06/01/pcma-seminar-the-monastery-of-deir-el-bachit-in-western-thebes-upper-egypt-and-a-brief-look-at-byzantium/linebreak