Proseuchē Inscription, Schedia, Egypt

Proseuchai (“houses of prayer” or “prayer halls”) seem to have served as focal points for Jewish communities in Egypt in antiquity. Inscriptions from the proseuchai highlight the good standing of these communities and their close ties to the Ptolemaic dynasty. This inscription reads, “On behalf of king Ptolemy and queen Berenice his sister and wife and their children, the Jews (dedicated) the proseuchē.”