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

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

Contents

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.

NameDate:
century BCE
ContentInstitutionRef #CityCountry
Diary of Merer 26thO - stone transport to the Great Pyramid of Giza Egyptian Museum [1] CairoEgypt
Abusir Papyri 25th or laterO - about Neferirkare Kakai
Moscow Mathematical Papyrus 21stS - Mathematical problems and solutions Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts Moscow Russia
Berlin Papyrus 21st or laterS - Medical and mathematical topics Egyptian Museum of Berlin P. Berlin 6619 Berlin Germany
Dramatic Ramesseum Papyrus 20thR - Religious drama British Museum P. BM EA 10610,2 London UK
Westcar Papyrus 20thL - Tales of Magic Egyptian Museum of Berlin P. Berlin 3033 Berlin Germany
Heqanakht Papyri 20thP - Private Correspondence of Heqanakht Metropolitan Museum of Art 22.3 New York City United States
Papyrus  Hermitage  1116A
Papyrus Moscow,
Papyrus Carlsberg 6
20th or laterT - Instruction of Merikare
P. Leningrad 111520th or laterL - Tale of the shipwrecked sailor Russian Museum P. Leningrad 1115 Moscow Russia
Prisse Papyrus 20th or laterT - Instruction addressed to Kagemni
The Maxims of Ptahhotep
Bibliothèque Nationale Paris France
Papyrus Berlin 3023
Papyrus Berlin 3025
Papyrus Berlin 10499
20th or laterL - The Eloquent Peasant P. Berlin 3023
P. Berlin 3025
P. Berlin 10499
Berlin Germany
Papyrus Butler 527 20th or laterL - The Eloquent Peasant British Museum P. BM 10274 London UK
Papyrus Berlin 3024 20th or laterL - Dispute between a man and his Ba, Herdsman's TaleP. Berlin 3024 Berlin Germany
Hearst Papyrus 20th or laterS - Medical texts University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, CA United States
Rhind Mathematical Papyrus 19th or laterS - Mathematical problems and solutions British Museum pBM 10057, pBM 10058 London UK
Kahun Papyri 19thS - Mathematical and medical topics University College London London UK
Papyrus Berlin 302219thB (?)- Story of Sinuhe P. Berlin 3022 Berlin Germany
Ramesseum medical papyri 18thS - Medical texts
Papyrus Boulaq 18 18thO - palace administration Cairo Egypt
London Medical Papyrus 18thS - Medical texts British Museum pBM 10059 London UK
Reisner Papyrus 18thO - official records
Ipuwer Papyrus 17thT - The Admonitions of Ipuwer Rijksmuseum van Oudheden Papyrus Leiden I 344 Leiden Netherlands
Papyrus Golenischeff 17thR - Hymn to the Red Crown
Edwin Smith Papyrus 16th or earlierS - Medical New York Academy of Medicine New York City United States
Ebers Papyrus 16thS - Medical University of Leipzig Leipzig Germany
Millingen Papyrus (now lost)16th or laterT - Instructions of Amenemhat
Carlsberg Papyrus VIII 15th (ca. 1400 BC) or later (perhaps Ramesside: 1292-1077 BC)S - Medical texts University of Copenhagen VIII Copenhagen Denmark
Turin King List 13th (1292-1077 BC; Ramesside)O - Kinglist Museo Egizio Turin Italy
Instruction of Any 13th or later (ca. 1250 BC)F - Book of the Dead British Museum P. Boulaq 4 Cairo Egypt
Papyrus Sallier II 13th or laterT - The Satire of the Trades British Museum London UK
Papyrus Anastasi I 13th or later (1292-1077 BC; Ramesside)T - Satirical letter British Museum pBM 10247 London UK
Papyrus Harris I 12th (1155–1149 BC)O - Lists of endowments British Museum P. BM 9999. London UK
Judicial Papyrus of Turin 12thO - Report on the Harem conspiracy against Ramesses III
Turin Papyrus Map 12th (ca. 1150 BC)D - Map Museo Egizio Turin Italy
Abbott Papyrus 12th (ca. 1100 BC)O - Investigation of crimes British Museum 10221 London UK
Leopold II and Amherst Papyrus 12th (1113 BC)O - Investigation of crimes Musée d'arts Brussels Belgium
Mayer Papyri 12th and later (A: 1083-1080 BC; B: 1118 BC)O - Investigation of crimes World Museum M11162, M11186 Liverpool UK
Chester Beatty Medical Papyrus 12thS - Medical texts British Museum London UK
Papyrus British Museum 1047412thT - Instructions of Amenemopet British Museum P. BM 10474 London UK
Papyrus Lansing 12thT - Schoolbook British Museum P. BM 9994 London UK
Papyrus Chester Beatty IV12thT - The Immortality of Writers British Museum P. BM 10684 London UK
Papyrus D’Orbiney 12thL - Tale of Two Brothers British Museum P. BM 10183 London UK
Papyrus Chester Beatty II12thL - Tale of Truth and Falsehood British Museum P. BM 10682 London UK
Papyrus Chester Beatty I12thL - Love poetry
Contention between Horus and Seth
Turin Erotic Papyrus 12th (ca. 1150 BC)D - Animal and erotic cartoonsP. Turin 55001 Turin Italy
Papyrus Harris 500 12th or laterL - Tale of the doomed prince, The Taking of Joppa, love poems, the Harper's Song British Museum P. BM 10060 London UK
Papyrus Pushkin I12th or laterL - Moscow literary letterP. Pushkin I
Greenfield Papyrus 11thF - Book of the Dead British Museum BM EA 10554 London UK
Papyrus Moscow 12011th or laterL - Story of Wenamun P. Moscow 120
Papyrus Hood 10thW - Onomasticon of Amenope British Museum P. BM EA 10202 London UK
Papyrus Berlin 30488thP - Marriage contractP. Berlin 3048 Berlin Germany
Papyrus Rylands 96thP - The petition of Pediese John Rylands LibraryP. Rylands 9 Manchester UK
Brooklyn Papyrus 5th (450 BC)S - Medical texts Brooklyn Museum Brooklyn United States
Papyrus Bremner–Rhind4thR - The Songs of Isis and Nephthys. British Museum P. BM 10188 London UK
British Museum Papyrus 105084th or laterT - Instruction of Ankhsheshonq British Museum P. BM 10508 London UK
Papyrus Berlin 30084th or laterR - The Lamentations of Isis and NephthysP.Berlin 3008 Berlin Germany
Cairo Museum Papyrus No. 306464th or laterL - Setne I Egyptian Museum Cairo Museum Papyrus No. 30646 Cairo Egypt
Cairo Museum Papyrus No. 306924th or laterL - Setne I Egyptian Museum Cairo Museum Papyrus No. 30692 Cairo Egypt
Vienna Demotic Papyrus 61654th or laterL - Story-cycle of King PetubastisVienna Demotic Papyrus 6165 Vienna Austria
Leiden Demotic Papyrus I 3844th or laterR - The Myth of the Eye of the Sun Rijksmuseum van Oudheden P.Leid.Dem. I 384LeidenNetherlands
Papyrus Milbank4th or later (332-30 BC)F - Book of the Dead Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures E10486 [2] Chicago United States
Zenon Papyri 3rd (250-230 BC)O/P: legal and financial transactions, architectural descriptionsdispersed [3] [4] various
Waziri Papyrus I 3rd or laterF - Book of the Dead Egyptian Museum CairoEgypt
Milan Papyrus 3rd or later (ca. 220 BC)L - Poetry in Greek University of Milan P.Mil.Vogl. VIII 309 Milan Italy
Insinger Papyrus 1st or laterT - Instruction of Papyrus Insinger Rijksmuseum van Oudheden F 95 / 5.1 Leiden Netherlands
Dryton and Apollonia Archive 1st or later (174-94 BCE; Ptolemaic)P - family papersdispersed [5]
British Museum Papyrus 6041st AD (39 AD)L - Setne II British Museum P. BM 604 [6] 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. "Papyrus Milbank". Google Arts & Culture. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
  3. McKenzie, McKenzie & Moorey 2007.
  4. "About the Zenon Papyri". apps.lib.umich.edu. University of Michigan . Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  5. Lewis, N: “Greeks in Ptolemaic Egypt”, pp 88–103. Oxford University Press, 1986
  6. "papyrus (Previous P.Lond.3.604B) | British Museum". www.britishmuseum.org. Retrieved 2023-11-16.

Sources