The Turin Gold Mine Papyrus, the oldest map from Ancient Egypt. New literary and administrativ texts by the scribe Amennakhte (1150 BC) and the search for his archive
The project aims to finish the publication of the 2.3 m long goldmine papyrus (P. Turin 1879+). The front side shows the oldest map from Ancient Egypt showing a goldmining area in the eastern desert, stone quarries, extracted blocks, access ways, mountains, a well and a sanctuary. The nearly unpublished back side contains more than ten different texts: hymns, administrative texts, a letter to the king, illustrated invocations to the sun god and several drawings.
The papyrus shall be fully edited together with S. Polis (University Liège) and in cooperation with the Egyptian Museum Turin. The edition project was started together in Turin in 2014 (basic documentation), continued in 2016 (control of readings in front of the original), 2019 and 2020 (completion and final corrections of the digital drawings of the hieroglyphs etc.), but the final work on the monograph with the translations and comments is still lacking.
What makes the study of this papyrus even more particular is the fact that the author of the map and of several texts can be identified as the necropolis scribe Amennakhte (*1205–†1137 BC) which is extremely rare for Egyptian texts. The identification of at least one other handwriting on the papyrus raises questions about the use of documents and motivates further studies on handwriting (palaeography). A finally goal of the project is to identify other papyri of/belonging to Amennakhte which formed together with the goldmine papyrus once an archive.
The papyrus shall be fully edited together with S. Polis (University Liège) and in cooperation with the Egyptian Museum Turin. The edition project was started together in Turin in 2014 (basic documentation), continued in 2016 (control of readings in front of the original), 2019 and 2020 (completion and final corrections of the digital drawings of the hieroglyphs etc.), but the final work on the monograph with the translations and comments is still lacking.
What makes the study of this papyrus even more particular is the fact that the author of the map and of several texts can be identified as the necropolis scribe Amennakhte (*1205–†1137 BC) which is extremely rare for Egyptian texts. The identification of at least one other handwriting on the papyrus raises questions about the use of documents and motivates further studies on handwriting (palaeography). A finally goal of the project is to identify other papyri of/belonging to Amennakhte which formed together with the goldmine papyrus once an archive.
Final report
SAB22–0045
Slutredovisning
Turins 'Gold Mine Papyrus', forntida Egyptens äldsta karta. Nya litterära och administrativa texter av skrivaren Amennakhte (1150 f .Kr.) och sökandet efter hans arkiv
Vetenskaplig redovisning
The applicant received a one-year research grant (July 2023 – June 2024) from the Riksbanken (RJ) Anniversary Fund. The project aimed to complete the publication of the Turin Gold Mines Papyrus in collaboration with co-author Dr. S. Polis (Liège, Belgium). Work on this edition project began in 2014 and continued in 2016 (compiling the readings from the original), 2019, and 2020 (completing and further correcting the digital drawings of the hieroglyphs, etc.).
The project was carried out in accordance with the application, including research stays in Liège and Turin. The transliteration, transcription, and translation with commentary of the front (recto) of the papyrus depicting the gold mines and quarries, including a detailed map description, was completed. The controversial discussion in the scholarly literature regarding the map's orientation was resolved by considering that the map's top side faces south, which corresponds to the main orientation of space in ancient Egypt. An examination of maps from the last two centuries allowed for the resolution of a further issue. A caption mentions the place name Kush, an area several hundred kilometers south of the borders of ancient Egypt. This had recently led some Egyptologists to question the generally accepted attribution of the map to Wadi Hammamat, a desert valley connecting the Nile Valley near Coptos, north of Thebes, to the Red Sea. One of the consulted maps mentions the toponym Wadi Kush, providing strong evidence that "Kush" does not refer to a southern region. This toponym is consistent with the map's new orientation and, due to its position, confirms it; furthermore, it is one of many examples demonstrating the persistence of toponyms over millennia. A recently discovered drawing of a standing figure of the god Amun, previously unidentified in all existing literature, executed in black ink on a near-black background—a depiction of the quarried greywacke—can be considered further evidence for the correct localization of the map, as such a figure of Amun is documented in several graffiti. Another, previously overlooked contextualization of the papyrus was the search for objects (sculptures) made of greywacke, based on the quarried blocks depicted on the map and their modest dimensions of less than 2.5 m³.
The transliteration, transcription, and translation with commentary on the verso, comprising 22 texts, enabled both the identification of the different text types and the classification of the document as a late, rather exceptional example of the genre "Miscellanies," with some unrelated drawings on the far left.
Two of the 22 texts on the verso—a letter to King Ramses VI—, which includes a request for donations for the cult of his statue in Deir el-Medina and an administrative text concerning the collection of copper chisels for melting down, has been republished, taking into account several readings and adaptations of the translations. A short, only partially preserved oath by the papyrus's main author, Amunnachte, son of Ipuy and husband of Taweretemheb, attests to another genre on the papyrus, alongside the seven fragmentary short hymns and the longer ones.
3.716
The short hymns are addressed to a snake, a falcon, the moon (?), Pharaoh Ramses II, a barque (?), and the god Min from Copts; one is too short to be classified. The Litany of the Sun, prominently placed in the center of the reverse, is calligraphic, unlike the other texts on the reverse, and is not written in an administrative style. The illustrations for each invoked manifestation of the sun god are exceptional. Both in this litany and in the other short hymns, numerous textual references to existing contemporary and older texts can be found, demonstrating the scribe Amunnakht's knowledgeable and productive use of religious text corpora in the creation of the new texts and constituting a characteristic of his writings. An administrative text concerning grain deliveries has been inserted between the short hymns and the litany, and another administrative text, demonstrating the dynamic use of the papyrus, is found in a further blank space below the short hymns. The texts discussed so far, located in the center of the reverse side, are framed by texts from another scribe; in the past, it was even assumed that there were multiple scribes. The attribution to only one scribe has been confirmed, and the previously suggested scribe Hori has at least been called into question. One of Amunnachte's sons is considered a plausible candidate for the second scribe and owner of the papyrus after his father's death, who authored all the religious and literary texts. The search for the physical remains of the scribe Amunnachte's archive was conducted by the two editors of the papyrus over three excavation campaigns and completed before the RJ project began. According to both Emic and Etic sources, Amunnachte's tomb served as a repository for his papyri. The re-excavation and examination of tomb P. 1340 (puit = shaft) in the necropolis of Deir el-Medina, which had been successfully identified, could not confirm that the "Gold Mine Papyrus" was once kept there. During this project, over 500 tiny papyrus fragments were found, but none that could be directly connected to the papyrus. This negative result had the advantage of significantly reducing the likelihood of finding further fragments in the field. Therefore, this publication includes all fragments known to date, although attempts have been made to locate additional pieces. The recent research history of the papyrus has produced some lesser-known scholars, including Francesco Salvolini and Théodule Devéria, as well as some more prominent figures such as Jean-François Champollion, Alan Gardiner, Eric Peet, and others. Their largely unpublished transcriptions of portions of the texts on the reverse side were considered and critically annotated for the final transcriptions. All variant readings were listed at the end of each text. This allows for an efficient overview of the text's research history while avoiding the repeated highlighting of earlier scholars' “errors”. Some of these “errors” can be explained by the then-incorrect placement of papyrus fragments, while others stem from the subsequent changes in the representation of hieratic symbols. Preliminary findings were presented to a wider audience on November 30, 2023, in Uppsala (Heimdal Association) and on May 2, 2024, at the Egyptian Museum in Turin, with live streams. The final publication of the papyrus is in preparation and planned for 2027.
Slutredovisning
Turins 'Gold Mine Papyrus', forntida Egyptens äldsta karta. Nya litterära och administrativa texter av skrivaren Amennakhte (1150 f .Kr.) och sökandet efter hans arkiv
Vetenskaplig redovisning
The applicant received a one-year research grant (July 2023 – June 2024) from the Riksbanken (RJ) Anniversary Fund. The project aimed to complete the publication of the Turin Gold Mines Papyrus in collaboration with co-author Dr. S. Polis (Liège, Belgium). Work on this edition project began in 2014 and continued in 2016 (compiling the readings from the original), 2019, and 2020 (completing and further correcting the digital drawings of the hieroglyphs, etc.).
The project was carried out in accordance with the application, including research stays in Liège and Turin. The transliteration, transcription, and translation with commentary of the front (recto) of the papyrus depicting the gold mines and quarries, including a detailed map description, was completed. The controversial discussion in the scholarly literature regarding the map's orientation was resolved by considering that the map's top side faces south, which corresponds to the main orientation of space in ancient Egypt. An examination of maps from the last two centuries allowed for the resolution of a further issue. A caption mentions the place name Kush, an area several hundred kilometers south of the borders of ancient Egypt. This had recently led some Egyptologists to question the generally accepted attribution of the map to Wadi Hammamat, a desert valley connecting the Nile Valley near Coptos, north of Thebes, to the Red Sea. One of the consulted maps mentions the toponym Wadi Kush, providing strong evidence that "Kush" does not refer to a southern region. This toponym is consistent with the map's new orientation and, due to its position, confirms it; furthermore, it is one of many examples demonstrating the persistence of toponyms over millennia. A recently discovered drawing of a standing figure of the god Amun, previously unidentified in all existing literature, executed in black ink on a near-black background—a depiction of the quarried greywacke—can be considered further evidence for the correct localization of the map, as such a figure of Amun is documented in several graffiti. Another, previously overlooked contextualization of the papyrus was the search for objects (sculptures) made of greywacke, based on the quarried blocks depicted on the map and their modest dimensions of less than 2.5 m³.
The transliteration, transcription, and translation with commentary on the verso, comprising 22 texts, enabled both the identification of the different text types and the classification of the document as a late, rather exceptional example of the genre "Miscellanies," with some unrelated drawings on the far left.
Two of the 22 texts on the verso—a letter to King Ramses VI—, which includes a request for donations for the cult of his statue in Deir el-Medina and an administrative text concerning the collection of copper chisels for melting down, has been republished, taking into account several readings and adaptations of the translations. A short, only partially preserved oath by the papyrus's main author, Amunnachte, son of Ipuy and husband of Taweretemheb, attests to another genre on the papyrus, alongside the seven fragmentary short hymns and the longer ones.
3.716
The short hymns are addressed to a snake, a falcon, the moon (?), Pharaoh Ramses II, a barque (?), and the god Min from Copts; one is too short to be classified. The Litany of the Sun, prominently placed in the center of the reverse, is calligraphic, unlike the other texts on the reverse, and is not written in an administrative style. The illustrations for each invoked manifestation of the sun god are exceptional. Both in this litany and in the other short hymns, numerous textual references to existing contemporary and older texts can be found, demonstrating the scribe Amunnakht's knowledgeable and productive use of religious text corpora in the creation of the new texts and constituting a characteristic of his writings. An administrative text concerning grain deliveries has been inserted between the short hymns and the litany, and another administrative text, demonstrating the dynamic use of the papyrus, is found in a further blank space below the short hymns. The texts discussed so far, located in the center of the reverse side, are framed by texts from another scribe; in the past, it was even assumed that there were multiple scribes. The attribution to only one scribe has been confirmed, and the previously suggested scribe Hori has at least been called into question. One of Amunnachte's sons is considered a plausible candidate for the second scribe and owner of the papyrus after his father's death, who authored all the religious and literary texts. The search for the physical remains of the scribe Amunnachte's archive was conducted by the two editors of the papyrus over three excavation campaigns and completed before the RJ project began. According to both Emic and Etic sources, Amunnachte's tomb served as a repository for his papyri. The re-excavation and examination of tomb P. 1340 (puit = shaft) in the necropolis of Deir el-Medina, which had been successfully identified, could not confirm that the "Gold Mine Papyrus" was once kept there. During this project, over 500 tiny papyrus fragments were found, but none that could be directly connected to the papyrus. This negative result had the advantage of significantly reducing the likelihood of finding further fragments in the field. Therefore, this publication includes all fragments known to date, although attempts have been made to locate additional pieces. The recent research history of the papyrus has produced some lesser-known scholars, including Francesco Salvolini and Théodule Devéria, as well as some more prominent figures such as Jean-François Champollion, Alan Gardiner, Eric Peet, and others. Their largely unpublished transcriptions of portions of the texts on the reverse side were considered and critically annotated for the final transcriptions. All variant readings were listed at the end of each text. This allows for an efficient overview of the text's research history while avoiding the repeated highlighting of earlier scholars' “errors”. Some of these “errors” can be explained by the then-incorrect placement of papyrus fragments, while others stem from the subsequent changes in the representation of hieratic symbols. Preliminary findings were presented to a wider audience on November 30, 2023, in Uppsala (Heimdal Association) and on May 2, 2024, at the Egyptian Museum in Turin, with live streams. The final publication of the papyrus is in preparation and planned for 2027.