Christians have often been scapegoats during the Roman Empire's Crisis of the third century, and when Diocletian at the beginning of the fourth century makes this persecution systematic, Christian refugee communities fleeing the chaos and persecution of these times form in Egypt at the edges of population centers, far enough away to be safe from Imperial scrutiny, but still close enough to have access to civilization.

Records from this time indicate that Christians often lived in tombs and trash heaps on the edges of major cities, more or less protected by their obscure status.