Ancient Egypt Reading a papyrus Papyrus is made

Ancient Egypt Reading a papyrus

Papyrus is made from pressed reeds and can get damaged over time. It was used for everyday writing, but also for documents which were put in the tomb with the dead. The Egyptians wrote hieroglyphs on papyrus with a pen. Sometimes they were drawn carefully. Sometimes they were done in a quick version like handwriting – known as hieratic Museums used to cut the rolls of papyrus into sheets for easier storage and display.

Papyrus What can be seen on papyrus? • hieroglyphs (written with a pen) • pictures (painted) In tomb papyri, the pictures can show • deities (gods and goddesses) • humans • objects

Papyrus from the Book of the Dead of Nakht. Canyou youidentify these some these people of features ancient the things and Egyptian ofabout the gods? people ancient symbols? wore? Egyptian environment? Papyrus provides information everyday life in ancient Egypt and the beliefs of the afterlife. Tjuiucan (Nakht’s wife) What you see on this papyrus? trees crook and flail Osiris wigs hieroglyphs a house ankh Maat linen a pool robes jewellery Nakht (the deceased)

Scene from the Book of the Dead of Hunefer showing a funeral Can you see. . . • the mummy? • the tomb? • the mourners? • the priests? • the ceremonial objects on a table? • the chest of food offerings? • the god Anubis?

A scene showing the afterlife from the Book of the Dead of Nakht shows weighing ancienthis Egyptians heart against Can This you papyrus see Nakht … us some of the activities that the believed a person had to do in the afterlife. the feather of truth? rowing a boat? Nakht, the tomb owner, is shown 8 times on the papyrus. worshipping the gods? ploughing the fields? looking after the crops?

Find out more about ancient Egyptian papyri Visit the main Museum website www. britishmuseum. org Use Explore to look at some of our papyri www. britishmuseum. org/explore/introduction. aspx Learn more about papyri www. ancientegypt. co. uk