Notes on Some Scribal Faults in Abbott Papyrus

Ismaeel, Mohamed Hassan

doi:10.21608/bcps.2022.267954

Notes on Some Scribal Faults in Abbott Papyrus

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Mohamed Hassan Ismaeel

Faculty of Arts, Alexandria University, Egypt

10.21608/bcps.2022.267954

Abstract

The Abbott Papyrus is one of the most important historical sources that records the great tomb robberies at the end of the 20^th dynasty, and it is the only source that reviews all examined tombs that were inspected by the government —in El-Taref, Deir el-Bahari, Dra’ Abu el-Naga, and the Valley of the Queens— After discovering the theft, and also, it has many indications that some state employees were complicit in these thefts. Despite the importance of this source, it suffers from many scribal errors. This research paper aims at discussing some writing errors that raise a lot of problems, as well as displaying their complexity because the contained information in the papyrus wasn’t mentioned in another source to verify its authenticity. The most noticeable errors are with the names of the kings who own the tombs which were examined, or the description of the tombs/pyramids to mark their locations.

Keywords

References

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ASAE	Annales du Service des Antiquités de l’Égypte, Le Caire.
CG	Catalogue Général du Musée du Caire.
GLR	H. Gauthier, Le Livre des Rois d’Egypte, 5 Tomes (Le Caire: IFAO, 1912).
JARCE	Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt.
JEA	Journal of the Egyptian Archaeology, London.
KRI	K.A. Kitchen, Ramesside Inscriptions,6 vols. (Oxford: Blackwell, 1969-1990).
L. D.	K.R. Lepsius, Denkmaeler aus Aegypten und Aethiopien (Berlin: Nicolaische Buchhandlung, 1849-1859).
MMAF	Mémoires Publiés par les Membres de la Mission Archéologique Française, Le Caire.
SAK	Studien zur Altägyptischen Kultur, Hambourg.
Wb	A. Erman and H. Grapow, Wörterbuch der Ägyptischen Sprache, 5 Bde. (Berlin: Akademie Verlag, 1971).
ZÄS	Zeitschrift für Ägyptische Sprache und Altertumskunde, Leipzig – Berlin.

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