Abstract :
Papyri from Egypt constitute the largest body of contemporary documentary
evidence for the reign of Muʿāwiya. Most notable among them are the
107 texts in the archive of Flavius Papas, a local official of Upper Egypt in
the 670s. Most are in Greek and provide insight into the administration,
society and economy of a provincial centre. Since many deal with taxes
and requisitions, they illustrate the incessant demands of the Islamic
regime in Fust
˙
āt˙
and the way local officials dealt with them. In particular,
the archive shows the importance of Egypt for providing the men,
materials and supplies essential for the war fleet of the caliphate. A few
other documents from Upper Egypt hint at the economic role of the
Church. This is the first of two parts, the second dealing with Middle
Egypt, Fust˙
āt˙
and Alexandria.
