![]() ![]() ![]() Papyrus Westcar is a reused papyrus made of the plant Cyperus papyrus. Since Erman's first attempt at a complete translation in 1890, the Westcar Papyrus has been translated numerous times, resulting in different outcomes. As the hieratic signs were still insufficiently investigated and translated, the Westcar Papyrus was displayed as some kind of curiosity. In 1886, German Egyptologist Adolf Erman purchased the papyrus from Lepsius' son and left it to the Museum of Berlin. These inconsistencies have led to widespread speculation many British historians speculate that Lepsius may have stolen the papyrus. Furthermore, Lepsius never made the text of the Westcar Papyrus public he stored the papyrus at home in his attic, where it was found after his death. Lepsius writes that the document was on display in the Oxford Bodleian Library, but public exhibitions have been documented there since the early 1860s and Lepsius' name does not appear in any lists or documents. There are inconsistencies about the true nature of the acquisition and the subsequent whereabouts of the Westcar Papyrus. As Lepsius was able to read some signs of Hieratic, he recognized some of the royal cartouche names of the kings and dated the text to the Old Kingdom. In 1838 or 1839, German Egyptologist Karl Richard Lepsius claimed to have received the papyrus from Westcar's niece. For unknown reasons he didn't note the exact circumstances under which he obtained the artifact. In 1823 or 1824, British adventurer Henry Westcar apparently discovered the papyrus during travels in Egypt. The papyrus is now on display under low-light conditions in the Egyptian Museum of Berlin. The papyrus has been used by historians as a literary resource for reconstituting the history of the Fourth Dynasty. Linguist and Egyptologist Verena Lepper thinks it is possible that the Westcar Papyrus was written during the Thirteenth Dynasty. Miriam Lichtheim dates the document to the Hyksos period (eighteenth to sixteenth century BC) and states that it is written in classical Middle Egyptian. The surviving material of the Westcar Papyrus consists of twelve columns written in hieratic script. ![]() In German, into which the text of the Westcar Papyrus was first translated, it is rendered as Die Märchen des Papyrus Westcar ("the fairy tales of Papyrus Westcar"). The story in the papyrus usually is rendered in English as, "King Cheops and the Magicians" and "The Tale of King Cheops' Court". In the papyrus text, each of these tales are told at the royal court of king Khufu (Cheops) ( Fourth Dynasty) by his sons. Berlin 3033) is an ancient Egyptian text containing five stories about miracles performed by priests and magicians. The Westcar Papyrus ( inventory-designation: P. In this sweeping tour of the history of books, the wonder of the ancient world comes alive and along the way we discover the singular power of the written word.Westcar Papyrus on display in the Ägyptisches Museum, Berlin Vallejo takes us to mountainous landscapes and the roaring sea, to the capitals where culture flourished and the furthest reaches where knowledge found refuge in chaotic times. Weaved throughout are fascinating stories about the spies, scribes, illuminators, librarians, booksellers, authors, and statesmen whose rich and sometimes complicated engagement with the written word bears remarkable similarities to the world today: Aristophanes and the censorship of the humourists, Sappho and the empowerment of women’s voices, Seneca and the problem of a post-truth world. Journeying along the battlefields of Alexander the Great, beneath the eruptions of Mount Vesuvius, at Cleopatra’s palaces and the scene of Hypatia’s murder, award-winning author Irene Vallejo chronicles the excitement of literary culture in the ancient world, and the heroic efforts that ensured this impressive tradition would continue. Long before books were mass produced, those made of reeds from along the Nile were worth fighting and dying for. ‘Packed with fascinating insights.’ – The i Review ‘A mindboggling history of the earliest books… the story she tells is impressively rip-roaring’ – Daily Telegraph ‘A panoramic survey of how books shaped not just the ancient world but ours too.’ – Observer ‘I maginative, lively and contemporary…masterly. ‘A literary phenomenon.’ – Times Literary Supplement ![]()
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