Pap. London, BM EA 10752
| Semna Dispatches
Verena M. Lepper
Artefact metadata
Martina Grünhagen; Verena Lepper
TEI encoding
Daniel A. Werning
Sandro Schwarz
Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung, Berlin
Berlin
v2.1
Licence for this TEI document: Creative Commons, Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0)
London, British Museum
London, British Museum
Department Ancient Egypt & Sudan
Pap. London, BM EA 10752
Pap. London, BM EA 10752
Pap. Ramesseum C
This papyrus is a letter-book which contains copies of dispatches on the recto. These reports were sent to the authorities of Thebes and record the trades of Nehesiu and Medjay. The fifth from eight dispatches was sent from Elephantine. It is reported that Medjays came in order to serve the Palace. They informed the guard about the bad conditions of the desert, but they were sent back.
Based on a secondary use of this object, magical texts including an incantation against ghosts and strengthening strip with accounts are on the verso.
recto
letter-book
papyrus
papyrus
This papyrus was a full-height roll. (According to: Parkinson, Parkinson, Reading Ancient Egyptian Poetry (2009), 152)
Pap. London, BM 10771 (Pap. Ramesseum 18) and Pap. London, BM 10772.2 are parts of the same papyrus.
- object's condition: incomplete
The papyrus is very fragile due to the moisture in the tomb in which this object was found.
The length is nearly complete so that the order of the plates is certain.
The upper part of each page is damaged to a large extent.
- text's condition: According to Smither, Semnah Dispatches (1945), 9), three lines are lost at the top of each page.
Parkinson, Parkinson, Reading Ancient Egyptian Poetry (2009), 152), notes that this object is a full-height roll. Because of that, the height of the text is complete in some parts.
The third line of dispatch no. 4 on Pl. 3 is indented.
The first visible lines are damaged in form of large holes.
On Pl. 2, the text is bloom.
Fragments of Plate:
1: Backed: gelatin; Sandwich: glass; Binding: cloth
2: Backed: gelatin; Sandwich: glass; Binding: magic tape, copydex self-adhesive carpet tape
3: Sandwich: glass; Binding: magic tape, copydex self-adhesive carpet tape
4: Backed: gelatin (cockled); Sandwich: glass; Binding: cloth; refused for loan to Germany 2003
5: Backed: gelatin (cockled); Sandwich: glass; Binding: cloth
(information according to: Parkinson, Papyrus Ramesseum C)
- first treats in Berlin by Ibscher in 1906
- for information about the conservation see Leach, A Conservation History, esp. 232-233 and 236-237.
Recto
col. I on Pl. 1: dispatch no. 1 (lines 1 to 13)
col. II on Pl. 2: dispatch no. 2 (lines 1 to 6) and no. 3 (lines 7 to 14)
col. III on Pl. 3: dispatches no. 3 (lines 1 to 6) and no. 4 (lines 7 to 14)
col. IV on Pl. 4: dispatches no. 4 (lines 1 to 5) and no. 5 (lines 6 to 12)
col. V on Pl. 4: dispatch no. 6 (lines x+4 to 13), and on Pl. 5: dispatch no. 6 (lines 1 to 13)
col. VI on Pl. 5: dispatch no. 7 (lines 1 to 7) and no. 8 (lines 8 to 13)
Verso
col. I on Pl. 5, and the ends of lines on Pl. 4
col. II on Pl. 4
col. III on Pl. 3
col. IV on Pl. 2, and the end on Pl. 1
col. V on Pl. 1
Only dispatch 5, which is separated from the dispatch 4 before by a space, is connected with Elephantine. The first line of this text is written in red. The same structure shows the second dispatch of the third plate. In addition, there are texts with large rubra which contain more than one line (see column V on Pl. 4 and the first text on Pl. 5).
The last two lines of dispatch no. 1 are separated from the rest of this text by a space.
The large uninscribed lower margin on each fragment shows that the fragments contain the ends of columns.
- handwriting of a practiced scribe
- "it resembles the writing of several of the El-Lahim business documents" (According to: ... in: Smither, Semnah Dispatches (1945), 9).
Egypt
Upper Egypt, 1st nome
Elephantine
Petrie, W. M. Flinders
Egypt
Upper Egypt, 4th nome
Thebes-West, Memnoneia
Ramesseum
donation
London, British Museum
Gardiner, Alan Henderson / British School of Archaeology, Egypt
The papyrus was found in a plundered shaft-tomb of a magician of the late 13th dynasty which was in the northwest corner of the ruins of the funeral temple complex of Ramesses II. at Thebes, under one of the brick magazines. This object was inside a wooden box together with other papyri and a bundle of reed pens. For the circumstances of this find and for information about this library see Parkinson, Reading Ancient Egyptian Poetry (2009), 138-172.
(unknown)
The papyrus is distributed on five glass plates.
-
-
-
-
-
3-10, pls. 2-7
5, 8, 11, pls. 29- 32 (verso)
844-847
191-193
70-72
41-42
78-87
225-240
138-172
[http://www.trismegistos.org/tm/detail.php?quick=381290]
[http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=114898&partId=1&museumno=10752&page=1]
[http://aaew.bbaw.de/tla/servlet/OTPassport?u=g&f=0&l=0&oc=18735&db=0 (Mai 2017)]
(Unknown)
Amulet charm
documentary
account
horizontal format
vertical format
administrative document
bill
commentary
contract
horizontal format
documentary | contract | promissory note
vertical format
dedication
dept instrument
diary
foundation charter
hypomnema
horizontal format
vertical format
indictment
Documentary | Jar Label
legal document
letter
"Urkundenformat"
horizontal format
letter address
private
transversa carta
vertical format
list
name list
onomasticon
product list
marriage contract
names
note
oath
vertical format
offer
documentary | official
documentary | official letter
Order for payment or delivery
documentary | order to arrest
petition to the king (enteuxis, mkmk)
proskynema
act of worhsip wšt.t
name
Documentary | Ration List
receipt
tax receipt
tombstone
will/testament
Documentary | Wooden Label
drawing
commentary
vigniette
literary
biography
commentary
eulogy
historic
lamentation
narrative
prose
verse
poetry
wisdom
instruction
proverb(s)
(no inscription)
(other)
petition to the emperor
Prescription
religious
Christian
commentary
dedication
divination
litany
magical
oracular inquiry
Gnostic
Islamic
religious | Islamic | amulet
dedication
divination
litany
magical
oracular inquiry
ritual
Jewish
dedication
divination
litany
magical
oracular inquiry
ritual
Manichaic
Mesopotamian
polytheistic Aramaian
polytheistic Egyptian
dedication
divination
litany
love charm
magical
oracular inquiry
ritual
unclear religion
dedication
divination
litany
magical
oracular inquiry
religious-literary
Christian
Biblical
New Testament
Old Testament
commentary
eulogy
hymn
lithurgical
monastical
myth
patristic
prayer
Gnostic
commentary
eulogy
hymn
prayer
Islamic
commentary
eulogy
hymn
myth
prayer
Qurʾānic
Jewish
commentary
eulogy
Hebrew Bible
hymn
myth
prayer
Manichaic
commentary
eulogy
hymn
prayer
Mesopotamian
commentary
eulogy
hymn
myth
prayer
polytheistic Aramaian
commentary
eulogy
hymn
myth
prayer
polytheistic Egyptian
Book of the Dead
Coffin Text
commentary
eulogy
hymn
myth
prayer
Pyramid Text
unclear religion
commentary
eulogy
hymn
myth
prayer
scientific
astronomy
Book of Dream
commentary/gloss
math
calculation
essay
geometry
medicine
essay
prescription
scientific | Alchemical presciption
scientific | astrology
horoscop
writing exercise
(unclear)
Akkadian
Arabic
Aramaic, Imperial
Carian
Egyptian
Coptic
Akhmimic
Bohairic
Fayumic
Middle Egyptian / Oxyrhynkhitic
Old Coptic
Sahidic
Sub-Akhmimic
Demotic
Early Demotic
Early Demotic - Ptolemaic Demotic
Ptolemaic - Roman Demotic
Ptolemaic Demotic
Roman Demotic
Late Egyptian
Later Egyptian
Middle Egyptian
Middle Egyptian, Classical
Middle Egyptian, Late
Neo-Middle Egyptian
Old Egyptian
pre-Coptic Egyptian
pre-Coptic Egyptian / Greek
Ptolemaic
Egyptian languages
English
German
Greek, Ancient
Greek, Ancient or Coptic
Hebrew
Hebrew, Ancient
Late Aramaic
Latin
Libyan
Mandaic
Meroitic
Nabataean
(none)
(not identified)
Nubian
Old Nubian
Old Persian
Pahlavi
Phoenician
Semitic language
Syriac
Uninscribed
Late Aramaic
Arabic
Aramaic, Imperial
Carian
Coptic
Coptic Cursive
Coptic Half-uncial
Coptic Uncial
Egyptian
Cursive Hieroglyphs
Demotic
Early Demotic
Early to Middle Demotic
Late Demotic
Middle Demotic
Middle to Late Demotic
Hieratic
Abnormal Hieratic
Archaic Hieratic
Late Hieratic
"Späthieratische Buchschrift"
Middle Hieratic
"Mittelhieratische Buchschrift"
"Mittelhieratische Kanzleischrift"
New Kingdom Hieratic
"Neuhieratische Buchschrift"
"Neuhieratische Kanzleischrift"
Old Hieratic
Hieroglyphs
Cryptography
Hieroglyphs | Late Period
Ptolemaic
Greek
Greek or Coptic
Hebrew
Latin
Meroitic Cursive
Meroitic Hieroglyphs
(none)
(not identified)
Pahlavi
Phoenician
Syriac
uninscribed
According to Smither, Semnah Dispatches (1945), 9), three lines are lost at the top of each page.
Parkinson, Parkinson, Reading Ancient Egyptian Poetry (2009), 152), notes that this object is a full-height roll. Because of that, the height of the text is complete in some parts.
The third line of dispatch no. 4 on Pl. 3 is indented.
The first visible lines are damaged in form of large holes.
On Pl. 2, the text is bloom.
Medja-people
mj.tj n snn jnı͗.t n=f m jnı͗.yt m mn.w n ꜣbw
m ḏḏ mn.w
n
mn.w
swḏꜣ jb=k snb.t
j
ꜥnḫ.tj r-n.tt mḏꜣ.y 2 mḏꜣ.yt 3 ḥr.j-ꜥ 2
hꜣ
.w
ḥr ḫꜣs.t m rnp.t-sp 3 ꜣbd 3 pr.t
sw
27 ḏd.n=sn jy.n=n r
bꜣk
n pr Pr-ꜥꜣ ꜥnḫ wḏꜣ snb wšd ḥr sḫr
ḫꜣs.t ꜥḥꜥ.n ḏd.n=sn n sḏm=n
j
ḫ.wt nb.
w
t
jw tꜣ ḫꜣs.t ḥr mw.t m-ꜥ ḥqr ḫr=fj st
ꜥḥꜥ.n rḏı͗.n bꜣk-jm ḫd=tw
r ḫꜣs.t=sn
m hrw pn ꜥḥꜥ.n ḏd.n wꜥ.t m nꜣ-n mḏꜣ.yt ḥꜣ rḏı͗.tw n=j Smither, The Semnah Dispatches (1945), 9, reads: rḏı͗.tw.n=j "O let me be given"
pꜣy=j mḏꜣ.y m tn ꜥḥꜥ.n ḏd.n pꜣ mḏꜣ.y jn jnı͗ sw swn
The copy of a record which was brought to him which was brought from the fortress of Elephantine as (something) sent by a fortress [to] (another) fortress.
Be informed Lit. "Gladdening of your heart“, if you please Lit.: "may you be healthy and living“, as follows: Two Medja-men, three Medja-women and two infants
descended from the desert in the regnal year 3, month 3 of the peret-season, [day] 27. They said: "We come in order to serve
the Palace, life, health, and prosperity.“ It was asked about the condition of the desert. Then they said: "We did not hear anything,
(but) the desert is dying of hunger:“, so they said. Then the servant-there caused that (they) dismissed to their desert
on this day. Then one of these Medja-women said: "Would that be given to me
my Medja-man in [///]" Then the Medja-man [said]: "It is (only) the one who has brought himself who (is able to) barter.“ According to Vittmann, Hieratic texts (1996), 42 n. 15. The translation of this passage is unclear, because it is unsure if there is text loss. Hafemann, pBM 10752, reads this sentence as a question: „Ist nur der, der sich darbringt einer, der Handel treiben (darf?)…?“ Smither, The Semnah Dispatches (1945), 9, translates: "Does one who trades bring himself?’(?)“