DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.18905#0019
THE PAPYRUS OF HUNEFER.
The papyrus of Hunefer, ra^<5^||> was found
at Thebes, and was purchased by the Trustees of
the British Museum from the late Clot Bey in
1852. It measures 18 feet by 1 foot 3I inches,
and it is the shortest illustrated text of the Book
of the Dead of the Theban period extant. The
material is composed of three layers of papyrus
of a fine light colour.
It contains a number of chapters of the Book
of the Dead, each of which is accompanied by
a vignette; and at top and bottom is a border of
two colours—red and yellow. A portion of the
papyrus was left blank at the beginning and end,
but was trimmed ofl whilst the document was in
the hands of a former possessor. The inscribed
text is perfect, not a single character being want-
ing. The vignettes appear to be the work of
one artist, but the great difference between the
character of the writing at the beginning and of
that at the end of the text suggests that two
scribes were employed. The titles of the chapters,
rubrics, catchwords, etc., are in red. In two or
more places the papyrus has been joined, and two
additional pieces (see Plates I. and VI.) have
been skilfully inserted. From the fact that the
text of the XVI Ith chapter is divided into two
sections by a vignette, which contains two full-
lenQth fiQ'ures of Flunefer and his wife with a
prayer written above them, it may be inferred that
the viQnettes were sketched m before the text was
o
written.
It is tolerably certain that all the sections of
the text were written about the same time, and
also that they are the work of the Theban school
of scribes, who were unrivalled in illustrating
papyri with bright colours. An examination,
however, of the papyrus shows that both artist
ancl scribe were not equal to the production of
beautiful vionettes and fine bold writing such as
appear in the papyrus of Ani.
We can, fortunately, fix with tolerable certamty
the exact place in the series of illustrated Theban
papyri which the papyrus of Flunefer occupies, for
in more than one passage we are given his full
titles, which read :—
mer per en suten neb taui Rd-Maat-men
Overseer of the palace of the king, the lord of the two lands, jM®g^jaj'RaV
"~1 ^ ^ ^ l B
7/ier menmenu en neb taui suten dn
overseer of the cattle of the lord of the two lands, the royal scribe,
Hu-nefer maayeru lier a/nent Uast
Hunefcr, triumphant, chief of the west of Thcbes.
Thus it appears that the papyrus was written
during the reign of Seti I., King of Egypt about
b.c. 1370, and we may safely assign the production
of the work to the middle of the fourteenth cen-
tury before our era. Apart from his papyrus,
nothing is known of Flunefer, and, moreover, the
name is very uncommon. His profession of “ royal
scribe ” gave him a high position at Thebes, and
the duties which he would have to discharge as
“ overseer of the palace ” and “ director of royal
cattle” and “ governor of Western Thebes ”
would indicate that he was of exalted rank.
Elsewhere we are told that he was the “ royal
scribe of the divine offerings of king Men-
Maat-Ra” (Seti I.), an office which would pro-
bably bring him frequently mto the royal presence.
Like so many high officials of this period, Hunefer
married a lacly of the College of Amen-Ra at
Thebes ; she is called “ Nasha, the lady of the
house, the qemat of Amen,” ^ -— (] “
B
The papyrus of Hunefer, ra^<5^||> was found
at Thebes, and was purchased by the Trustees of
the British Museum from the late Clot Bey in
1852. It measures 18 feet by 1 foot 3I inches,
and it is the shortest illustrated text of the Book
of the Dead of the Theban period extant. The
material is composed of three layers of papyrus
of a fine light colour.
It contains a number of chapters of the Book
of the Dead, each of which is accompanied by
a vignette; and at top and bottom is a border of
two colours—red and yellow. A portion of the
papyrus was left blank at the beginning and end,
but was trimmed ofl whilst the document was in
the hands of a former possessor. The inscribed
text is perfect, not a single character being want-
ing. The vignettes appear to be the work of
one artist, but the great difference between the
character of the writing at the beginning and of
that at the end of the text suggests that two
scribes were employed. The titles of the chapters,
rubrics, catchwords, etc., are in red. In two or
more places the papyrus has been joined, and two
additional pieces (see Plates I. and VI.) have
been skilfully inserted. From the fact that the
text of the XVI Ith chapter is divided into two
sections by a vignette, which contains two full-
lenQth fiQ'ures of Flunefer and his wife with a
prayer written above them, it may be inferred that
the viQnettes were sketched m before the text was
o
written.
It is tolerably certain that all the sections of
the text were written about the same time, and
also that they are the work of the Theban school
of scribes, who were unrivalled in illustrating
papyri with bright colours. An examination,
however, of the papyrus shows that both artist
ancl scribe were not equal to the production of
beautiful vionettes and fine bold writing such as
appear in the papyrus of Ani.
We can, fortunately, fix with tolerable certamty
the exact place in the series of illustrated Theban
papyri which the papyrus of Flunefer occupies, for
in more than one passage we are given his full
titles, which read :—
mer per en suten neb taui Rd-Maat-men
Overseer of the palace of the king, the lord of the two lands, jM®g^jaj'RaV
"~1 ^ ^ ^ l B
7/ier menmenu en neb taui suten dn
overseer of the cattle of the lord of the two lands, the royal scribe,
Hu-nefer maayeru lier a/nent Uast
Hunefcr, triumphant, chief of the west of Thcbes.
Thus it appears that the papyrus was written
during the reign of Seti I., King of Egypt about
b.c. 1370, and we may safely assign the production
of the work to the middle of the fourteenth cen-
tury before our era. Apart from his papyrus,
nothing is known of Flunefer, and, moreover, the
name is very uncommon. His profession of “ royal
scribe ” gave him a high position at Thebes, and
the duties which he would have to discharge as
“ overseer of the palace ” and “ director of royal
cattle” and “ governor of Western Thebes ”
would indicate that he was of exalted rank.
Elsewhere we are told that he was the “ royal
scribe of the divine offerings of king Men-
Maat-Ra” (Seti I.), an office which would pro-
bably bring him frequently mto the royal presence.
Like so many high officials of this period, Hunefer
married a lacly of the College of Amen-Ra at
Thebes ; she is called “ Nasha, the lady of the
house, the qemat of Amen,” ^ -— (] “
B