Anthony Charles Harris
Encyclopedia
Anthony Charles Harris was a noted collector of ancient Egyptian papyri. As antiquary, merchant, and official supplier of the army he was based in Alexandria, Egypt for the last four decades of his life. He made many journeys on the Nile to Upper Egypt where he acquired papyri and artefacts. An amateur, he had a good understanding of hieroglyphs as was acknowledged by Heinrich Karl Brugsch
.
His collection included
Selima Harris, his natural daughter, offered his collection for sale in 1871 for £10,000; and it was bought by Samuel Birch
of the British Museum
in 1872.
Father and daughter are buried in the British Protestant Cemetery near the demolished Rosetta Gate in Alexandria, Egypt.
Heinrich Karl Brugsch
Heinrich Karl Brugsch was a German Egyptologist, born in Berlin. He was associated with Auguste Mariette in his excavations at Memphis...
.
His collection included
- The Great Harris Papyrus, also known as Papyrus Harris I, mostly lists of temple endowments by Ramses III, but also some historical writings, which Harris acquired in 1855
- The Papyrus Harris II
- The Papyrus Harris 500Papyrus Harris 500The Papyrus Harris 500, alt. pHarris 500 or P. British Museum 10060, contains copies of the ancient Egyptian tales of The Doomed Prince and The Taking of Joppa, of love poems and of the Harper's Song from the tomb of King Intef...
, a literary papyrus containing two tales and poetry - The Papyrus Harris 501 which contained a magical text
Selima Harris, his natural daughter, offered his collection for sale in 1871 for £10,000; and it was bought by Samuel Birch
Samuel Birch
Samuel Birch was a British Egyptologist and antiquary.-Biography:Birch was the son of a rector at St Mary Woolnoth, London. He was educated at Merchant Taylors' School. From an early age, his manifest tendency to the study of out-of-the-way subjects well suited his later interest in archaeology...
of the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
in 1872.
Father and daughter are buried in the British Protestant Cemetery near the demolished Rosetta Gate in Alexandria, Egypt.