More is known about everyday life in Graeco-Roman Egypt than in any other Greek or Roman territory, owing to the thousands of papyri discovered in the rubbish tips of ancient towns at the beginning of the twentieth century. The papyri, which include accounts, personal letters, complaints and legal documents, enable the archaeologist to see the artefacts and monuments in their social context, in a way that is impossible when examining any other ancient civilisation. We can tell how everyday objects, which were well preserved in the dry sands of Egypt, were used.