Sacrifice certificate (Libellus), from Egypt (c. 250 AD)
Description:
Sacrifice certificate on papyrus, from Oxyrhynchus, in Egypt, dating to the Decian persecution. The libelli were documents notarized by Roman authorities to certify that someone has
offered sacrifice to their idols. In times of persecution these documents were accepted
as proof that someone was not a Christian. Many of these libelli have been discovered in
excavations in Egypt.
