Ancient Egypt

Reading a papyrus
 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.
Papyrus
Can
Canyou provides
youidentify
identify information
these
some
these features
of
people
ancient ofabout
the things
and
Egyptian
the
gods?everyday
people
ancient
symbols?
wore? life in
Egyptian ancient Egypt and the
environment?
beliefs of the afterlife.
Tjuiucan
What
trees crook and (Nakhts
you seewife)
on this papyrus?
Osiris flail 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
Can This
you papyrus shows
see Nakht us some of the activities that the
weighing
ancient
hisEgyptians
heart against
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 looking after

the gods? the crops?

ploughing the
fields?
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