| In papyri of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th centuries AD, found in or connected to the city of Oxyrhynchus in Egypt, there are frequent references to a “Cretan amphodon”, which may imply the existence of an administrative district where large numbers of Cretan immigrants had settled. The Cretans were probably present in Oxyrhynchus for trading purposes. However, it is also possible that the name simply commemorates the country of origin of the first settlers of the area, who may in the meantime have been integrated into the local population. |