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List of papyri from ancient Egypt

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Photo of ancient papyrus document, showing vertical and horizontal striations from the strips of pith of the papyrus plant.

This list of ancient Egyptian papyri includes some of the better known individual papyri written in hieroglyphs, hieratic, demotic or in Greek. Excluded are papyri found abroad or containing Biblical texts which are listed in separate lists.

The content descriptions are preceded by a letter in bold font, indicating the literary genre it belongs to. In the case of collections of texts of various kinds, the first letter refers to the most important text on the papyrus.

  • B : biographical
  • D : drawings: cartoons, maps
  • F : funerary: Books of the Dead
  • L : literary texts: tales, poems
  • O : official records
  • P : private papyri, correspondence, contracts
  • R : religious, myths
  • S : scientific: mathematical, medical
  • T : teachings, instructions
  • W : wordlists
Name Date:
century BCE
Content Institution Ref # City Country
Diary of Merer 26th O - stone transport to the Great Pyramid of Giza Egyptian Museum in Cairo [1]
Dryton and Apollonia Archive Ptolemaic P - family papers dispersed [2]
Abusir Papyri 25th or later O - about Neferirkare Kakai
Moscow Mathematical Papyrus 21st S - Mathematical problems and solutions Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow Moscow Russia
Berlin Papyrus 21st or later S - Medical and mathematical topics Egyptian Museum of Berlin P. Berlin 6619 Berlin Germany
Westcar Papyrus 20th L - Tales of Magic Egyptian Museum of Berlin P. Berlin 3033 Berlin Germany
Heqanakht papyri 20th P - Private Correspondence of Heqanakht Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York 22.3 New York City United States
Papyrus Hermitage 1116A
Papyrus Moscow,
Papyrus Carlsberg 6
20th or later T - Instruction of Merikare
P. Leningrad 1115 20th or later L - Tale of the shipwrecked sailor P. Leningrad 1115 Moscow Russia
Prisse Papyrus 20th or later T - Instruction addressed to Kagemni
The Maxims of Ptahhotep
Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris Paris France
Papyrus Berlin 3023
Papyrus Berlin 3025
Papyrus Berlin 10499
20th or later L - The Eloquent Peasant P. Berlin 3023
P. Berlin 3025
P. Berlin 10499
Berlin Germany
Papyrus Butler 527 20th or later L - The Eloquent Peasant British Museum, London P. BM 10274 London UK
Papyrus Berlin 3024 20th or later L - Dispute between a man and his Ba, Herdsman's Tale P. Berlin 3024 Berlin Germany
Hearst Papyrus 20th or later S - Medical texts University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, CA United States
Rhind Mathematical Papyrus 19th or later S - Mathematical problems and solutions British Museum, London pBM 10057, pBM 10058 London UK
Kahun Papyri 19th S - Mathematical and medical topics University College London London UK
Papyrus Berlin 3022 19th B (?)- Story of Sinuhe P. Berlin 3022 Berlin Germany
Ramesseum medical papyri 18th S - Medical texts
Papyrus Boulaq 18 18th O - palace administration Egypt Cairo
London Medical Papyrus 18th S - Medical texts British Museum, London pBM 10059 London UK
Reisner Papyrus 18th O - official records
Ipuwer Papyrus 17th T - The Admonitions of Ipuwer Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, Leiden Papyrus Leiden I 344 Leiden Netherlands
Papyrus Golenischeff 17th R - Hymn to the Red Crown
Edwin Smith Papyrus 16th or earlier S - Medical New York Academy of Medicine New York City United States
Ebers Papyrus 16th S - Medical University of Leipzig, Leipzig Germany
Turin Erotic Papyrus 16th or later D - Animal and erotic cartoons P. Turin 55001 Turin Italy
Millingen Papyrus (now lost) 16th or later T - Instructions of Amenemhat
Papyrus of Ani 13th or later F - Book of the Dead Cairo Museum, Cairo P. Boulaq 4 Cairo Egypt
Turin King List 13th O - Kinglist Museo Egizio, Turin Turin Italy
Papyrus Sallier II 13th or later T - The Satire of the Trades British Museum, London London UK
Papyrus Anastasi I 13th or later T - Satirical letter British Museum, London pBM 10247 London UK
Papyrus Harris I 12th O - Lists of endowments British Museum, London P. BM 9999. London UK
Judicial Papyrus of Turin 12th O - Report on the Harem conspiracy against Ramesses III
Papyrus Harris 500 12th or later L - Tale of the doomed prince, The Taking of Joppa, love poems, the Harper's Song British Museum, London P. BM 10060 London UK
Papyrus Pushkin I 12th or later L - Moscow literary letter P. Pushkin I
Turin Papyrus 12th D - Map Museo Egizio, Turin Turin Italy
Abbott Papyrus 12th O - Investigation of crimes
Leopold II and Amherst Papyrus 12th O - Investigation of crimes Musée d'arts, Brussels Brussels Belgium
Mayer Papyri 12th O - Investigation of crimes
Chester Beatty Medical Papyrus 12th S - Medical texts British Museum, London London UK
Papyrus British Museum 10474 12th T - Instructions of Amenemopet British Museum, London P. BM 10474 London UK
Papyrus Lansing 12th T - Schoolbook British Museum, London P. BM 9994 London UK
Papyrus Chester Beatty IV 12th T - The Immortality of Writers British Museum, London P. BM 10684 London UK
Papyrus D’Orbiney 12th L - Tale of Two Brothers British Museum, London P. BM 10183 London UK
Papyrus Chester Beatty II 12th L - Tale of Truth and Falsehood British Museum, London P. BM 10682 London UK
Papyrus Chester Beatty I 12th L - Love poetry
Contention between Horus and Seth
Greenfield papyrus 11th F - Book of the Dead British Museum, London BM EA 10554 London UK
Papyrus Moscow 120 11th or later L - Story of Wenamun P. Moscow 120
Papyrus Hood 10th W - Onomasticon of Amenope British Museum, London P. BM EA 10202 London UK
Papyrus Berlin 3048 08th P - Marriage contract P. Berlin 3048 Berlin Germany
Papyrus Rylands 9 06th P - The petition of Pediese John Rylands Library, Manchester P. Rylands 9 Manchester UK
Brooklyn Papyrus 04th or later S - Medical texts Brooklyn Museum Brooklyn United States
Papyrus Bremner–Rhind 04th R - The Songs of Isis and Nephthys. British Museum, London P. BM 10188 London UK
British Museum Papyrus 10508 04th or later T - Instruction of Ankhsheshonq British Museum, London P. BM 10508 London UK
Papyrus Berlin 3008 04th or later R - The Lamentations of Isis and Nephthys P.Berlin 3008 Berlin Germany
Cairo Museum Papyrus No. 30646 04th or later L - Setne I Cairo Museum Cairo Museum Papyrus No. 30646 Cairo Egypt
Cairo Museum Papyrus No. 30692 04th or later L - Setne I Cairo Museum Cairo Museum Papyrus No. 30692 Cairo Egypt
Vienna Demotic Papyrus 6165 04th or later L - Story-cycle of King Petubastis Vienna Demotic Papyrus 6165 Vienna Austria
Leiden Demotic Papyrus I 384 04th or later R - The Myth of the Eye of the Sun Leiden Demotic Papyrus I 384
Papyrus Milbank 04th or later F - Book of the Dead Oriental Institute E10486 Chicago United States of America
Milan Papyrus 03rd or later L - Poetry in Greek University of Milan P.Mil.Vogl. VIII 309 Milan Italy
Zenon Papyri 03rd O/P: legal and financial transactions, architectural descriptions dispersed [3][4] various
Carlsberg Papyrus 02nd and later S - Medical texts University of Copenhagen Copenhagen Denmark
Insinger Papyrus 02nd or later T - Instruction of Papyrus Insinger Leiden Netherlands
British Museum Papyrus 604. 01st or later L - Setne II British Museum, London P. BM 604. London UK

See also

References

  1. ^ "Egypt Displays Oldest Papyrus, Accounts on Pyramid-Builders - The New York Times". www.nytimes.com. Archived from the original on 2016-07-14.
  2. ^ Lewis, N: “Greeks in Ptolemaic Egypt”, pp 88–103. Oxford University Press, 1986
  3. ^ McKenzie, McKenzie & Moorey 2007.
  4. ^ "About the Zenon Papyri". apps.lib.umich.edu. University of Michigan. Retrieved 24 April 2021.

Sources