The Rylands Lunchtime Seminar: Ancient and Modern Lives of an Ancient Egyptian Papyrus
| Dates: | 23 May 2024 |
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| Times: | 13:00 - 13:45 |
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| What is it: | Talk |
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| Organiser: | John Rylands Research Institute and Library |
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| Who is it for: | University staff, Adults, Alumni, Current University students, General public |
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Papyrus Rylands "Demotic 9" is a long (ca. 4.5 m) papyrus roll found as part of a group with other eight papyri in the ruins of el-Hibeh, Middle Egypt. This remarkable group of papyri are amongst the earliest texts written in the demotic script, dating to the seventh and sixth centuries BCE. Amongst them, P. Rylands Dem. 9 is especially important. It records, written on both sides of the roll, a petition by a man called Petese to the ruler of Egypt at the time, the Persian king Darius I. In the first part of this lecture we will explore Petese’s grievances in the context of Persian-dominated Egypt, and will analyse the significance of this document for our knowledge of Late Period Egypt and the history of the Egyptian language and scripts.
The papyrus roll, acquired by Lord Crawford at the end of the 19th century, has had a complicated modern history, on which we will focus in the second part of the lecture. In the 1960s the papyrus was severely damaged by the liberal application of oleic and linoleic acid, and its glass frame was subsequently broken. Since 2003 the papyrus had been stored in a wooden crate and it was unavailable to researchers. Thanks to the generous support of the National Manuscripts Conservation Trust grant (NMCT), the Collection Care team has successfully treated Demotic Papyrus 9, bringing it closer to being accessible to both the public and researchers. This conservation treatment has been particularly challenging, requiring the use of enzymes, alongside new materials and techniques. It's been a collaborative effort, involving multidisciplinary work with the Imaging team, Dr Marina Escolano-Poveda (Papyrologist), Curators, Frame Conservator, and Scientists from the University of Manchester.
We'll be joined by Marina Escolano-Poveda is a Senior Lecturer in Classics/Ancient History and Egyptology at the Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology of the University of Liverpool.
Elisabeth Carr, Collection Care Manager at the University of Manchester Library
To book a free place on this online event please follow the link to Eventbrite
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ancient-and-modern-lives-of-an-ancient-egyptian-papyrus-tickets-827186355657?aff=ebdsoporgprofile
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