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Hieratic Papyrus fragment

New Kingdom, Ramesside
ca. 1181 BCE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 124
Papyrus was a costly writing material in ancient Egypt. For this reason papyrus documents whose contents were no longer required were retained for further use as scratch paper. This papyrus contains a major and minor text on both the recto and verso. The major texts are a letter between two fan-bearers of the king and a fragmentary record of the cultivation of pharaonic lands in year 16 of Ramesses III; the smaller texts mention the arrival of a shipment of commodities and the quarrying of stone for a tomb. This papyrus joins P. Vienna 38 and belongs to the same archive as a cache of documents discovered at Memphis that record the construction of tombs for several high officials.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Hieratic Papyrus fragment
  • Period: New Kingdom, Ramesside
  • Dynasty: Dynasty 20
  • Reign: reign of Ramesses III
  • Date: ca. 1181 BCE
  • Geography: From Egypt; Probably from Memphite Region, Memphis (Mit Rahina)
  • Medium: Papyrus, ink
  • Dimensions: L. 35 × H. 39 cm (13 3/4 × 15 3/8 in.); Frame: L. 40.8 × H. 48.5 cm (16 1/16 × 19 1/8 in.)
  • Credit Line: Museum Accession
  • Object Number: O.C.3569
  • Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art

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