Comunità cristiane e rioccupazione degli spazi nell’Egitto bizantino: il caso di Tebe ovest

In the context of Late Antique Egypt there were many cases of reuse of ancient monuments by Christian communities. The Theban area represents an exemplary case, because of the numerous vestiges of the Pharaonic era and of the dynamic environment that in the Byzantine period characterized the ancient capital, especially in its western part. The Theban Christian communities were able to maintain a close and functional relationship with those who were the reference points in the visual and symbolic horizon of the inhabitants of the necropolis. Hermitages, monasteries, topoi and laurae were installed in correspondence of ancient tombs and temples. Therefore, it was not the places that changed, but partly their use. This article aims to outline some significant cases of re-appropriation of spaces, underlining the ways in which each of the communities considered was able to relate in an original way with the archaeological contexts of which it took possession.