The study of Egyptian monasticism has traditionally relied heavily on the rich corpus of textual sources, while the archaeological remains have been secondary to our understanding of monastic life. This imbalance has resulted in a situation where questions pertinent to the physical remains of monasteries ha ve largely remained unanswered. Based on first - hand archaeological material from the White Monastery federation and comparative material obtained through archaeological reports, the thesis addresses Egypt ian Monasticism in the transition from Late Antiquity to the Early Islamic period, by examining three main themes through seven chapters. These themes are:
1. the relationship between the archaeological and textual sources pertinent to the White Monastery
2. the diachronic development of the White Monastery and the process es that caused its abandonment
3. the economy of the White Monastery federation and the monasteries’ interaction with contemporary society.