Pen
Description
Roman Period, 30 B.C.–A.D. 364. Reed. L. 16 cm (6 5/16 in.). From: Oxyrhynchus (Bahnasa), Middle Egypt, Egypt. Excavation: EEF excavations 1896–97. Credit: Gift of Egypt Exploration Fund, 1897.
AI image analysis GPT-5.4-nano
Machine-generated from the object's image on Jul 2026. Not curatorial; treat deities, names, and signs below as the model's best reading, not authority.
A single reed-like writing implement is shown in profile, with a sharpened tip on the left and a thicker, rounded end on the right.
The image depicts a straight, cylindrical object resembling a reed pen. The left end is sharpened to a narrow point, while the remainder is thicker and smooth, with visible coloration variations from pale tan to darker brown along the body. There are no visible carved hieroglyphs, cartouches, deities, or figures on the object’s surface. No Greek, Coptic, or Arabic text is legible in the photograph. The catalogued identification as a “Pen” made of reed matches the general physical appearance (a reed/writing tool with a pointed end).
About this record's data
- From the source institution — accession, description, dimensions, and dating are as catalogued by Metropolitan Museum of Art — Egyptian Art (Open Access).
- AI-inferred — the image-analysis panel (deities, names, signs) is machine-generated and may be wrong.
- Approximate location — most map points are plotted at the site centroid, not the exact findspot.
- Inferred links — cross-references marked with a match method other than explicit-source-field were matched by us, not stated by the source.