Insinger Papyrus
Encyclopedia
Insinger Papyrus is a papyrus
find from Ancient Egypt
and contains one of the oldest extant writings about Egyptian wisdom teachings (Sebayt
). The manuscript is dated to around the 2nd century AD and the main part is kept at the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden
in Leiden.
with the beginning and end of the scroll missing, the size is about 612 × 27.5 cm (241 × 10,5 inches). The text is written on the recto
side.
The text is an example of the ancient Egyptian literature genre wisdom teachings (Sebayt) and shows that Egyptian traditions persisted even under foreign rule and how they were adapted to the requirements of new times.
The manuscript is a collection of writings and includes 25 surviving chapters.
The scripture is broken down into different themes with numbered chapters and contains over 800 maxims
.
The maxims are written as 1 liners similar to a proverb, examples are:
The text is written in demotic
and the manuscript is dated between year 0 and 100 AD around the Greek period
and the Roman period. It is probably a transcript of an earlier manuscript.
by French businessman Frenay to Dutch photographer and antique dealer Jan Herman Insinger. Insinger then lived in Luxor
where he among other things worked with Gaston Maspero
.
The manuscript is the most comprehensive and significant of the preserved texts in the genre of wisdom teachings, one of the oldest genres in Ancient Egyptian literature
. In contrast to other extant wisdom teachings emphasizing proper social behavior, the Insinger Papyrus puts the emphasis on ethically correct behavior.
In 1922, the Dutchman Pieter Adriaan Aart Boeser published the first transcription
and translation in the article "Transkription und Übersetzung des Papyrus Insinger" in Internationales Archiv für Ethnographie (OMRO, vol 26).
In 1926, the Czech František Lexa
published a transcription with commentaries and interpretations in French in the book Papyrus Insinger.
In the late 1970s, Karl-Theodor Zauzich (attendant for the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
- Penn Museum) discovered three additional fragments in the Museum's collections belonging to the Insinger Papyrus. These were bought for the museum in Egypt in 1910.
The archive number of the papyrus at Rijksmuseum van Oudheden is F 95 / 5.1 and E 16333 A-C at the Penn Museum.
Papyrus
Papyrus is a thick paper-like material produced from the pith of the papyrus plant, Cyperus papyrus, a wetland sedge that was once abundant in the Nile Delta of Egypt....
find from Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
and contains one of the oldest extant writings about Egyptian wisdom teachings (Sebayt
Sebayt
Sebayt is the ancient Egyptian term for a genre of pharaonic literature. The word literally means 'teachings' or 'instructions' and refers to formally written ethical teachings focused on the "way of living truly"....
). The manuscript is dated to around the 2nd century AD and the main part is kept at the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden
Rijksmuseum van Oudheden
The Rijksmuseum van Oudheden is the national archaeological museum of the Netherlands. It is located in Leiden. The Museum grew out of the collection of Leiden University and still closely co-operates with its Faculty of Archaeology...
in Leiden.
Contents
The Insinger Papyrus is a fragmented papyrus scrollScroll
A scroll is a roll of parchment, papyrus, or paper, which has been drawn or written upon.Scroll may also refer to:*Scroll , the decoratively curved end of the pegbox of string instruments such as violins...
with the beginning and end of the scroll missing, the size is about 612 × 27.5 cm (241 × 10,5 inches). The text is written on the recto
Recto
The recto and verso are respectively the "front" and "back" sides of a leaf of paper in a bound item such as a codex, book, broadsheet, or pamphlet. In languages written from left to right the recto is the right-hand page and the verso the left-hand page...
side.
The text is an example of the ancient Egyptian literature genre wisdom teachings (Sebayt) and shows that Egyptian traditions persisted even under foreign rule and how they were adapted to the requirements of new times.
The manuscript is a collection of writings and includes 25 surviving chapters.
The scripture is broken down into different themes with numbered chapters and contains over 800 maxims
Maxim (philosophy)
A maxim is a ground rule or subjective principle of action; in that sense, a maxim is a thought that can motivate individuals.- Deontological ethics :...
.
The maxims are written as 1 liners similar to a proverb, examples are:
- "A hissing of a snake is more effective than the braying of a donkey"
- "A small snake bears poison"
- "A snake on which one steps ejects a strong poison"
- "A crocodile does not die from worrying, it dies from hunger"
- "It is God who bestows prosperity, it is the wise man that preserves it"
The text is written in demotic
Demotic (Egyptian)
Demotic refers to either the ancient Egyptian script derived from northern forms of hieratic used in the Delta, or the stage of the Egyptian language following Late Egyptian and preceding Coptic. The term was first used by the Greek historian Herodotus to distinguish it from hieratic and...
and the manuscript is dated between year 0 and 100 AD around the Greek period
Ptolemaic Kingdom
The Ptolemaic Kingdom in and around Egypt began following Alexander the Great's conquest in 332 BC and ended with the death of Cleopatra VII and the Roman conquest in 30 BC. It was founded when Ptolemy I Soter declared himself Pharaoh of Egypt, creating a powerful Hellenistic state stretching from...
and the Roman period. It is probably a transcript of an earlier manuscript.
History
It is not known when the scroll was discovered. In 1895 the scroll was sold in AkhmimAkhmim
Akhmim is a city in the Sohag Governorate of Upper Egypt. Referred to by the ancient Greeks as Khemmis, Chemmis and Panopolis, it is located on the east bank of the Nile, 4 miles to the northeast of Sohag.- History :Akhmim was known in Ancient Egypt as Ipu, Apu or Khent-min...
by French businessman Frenay to Dutch photographer and antique dealer Jan Herman Insinger. Insinger then lived in Luxor
Luxor
Luxor is a city in Upper Egypt and the capital of Luxor Governorate. The population numbers 487,896 , with an area of approximately . As the site of the Ancient Egyptian city of Thebes, Luxor has frequently been characterized as the "world's greatest open air museum", as the ruins of the temple...
where he among other things worked with Gaston Maspero
Gaston Maspero
Gaston Camille Charles Maspero was a French Egyptologist.-Life:Gaston Maspero was born in Paris to parents of Lombard origin. While at school he showed a special taste for history, and by the age of fourteen he was already interested in hieroglyphic writing...
.
The manuscript is the most comprehensive and significant of the preserved texts in the genre of wisdom teachings, one of the oldest genres in Ancient Egyptian literature
Ancient Egyptian literature
Ancient Egyptian literature was written in the Egyptian language from Ancient Egypt's pharaonic period until the end of Roman domination. It represents the oldest corpus of Egyptian literature...
. In contrast to other extant wisdom teachings emphasizing proper social behavior, the Insinger Papyrus puts the emphasis on ethically correct behavior.
In 1922, the Dutchman Pieter Adriaan Aart Boeser published the first transcription
Transcription (linguistics)
Transcription in the linguistic sense is the systematic representation of language in written form. The source can either be utterances or preexisting text in another writing system, although some linguists only consider the former as transcription.Transcription should not be confused with...
and translation in the article "Transkription und Übersetzung des Papyrus Insinger" in Internationales Archiv für Ethnographie (OMRO, vol 26).
In 1926, the Czech František Lexa
František Lexa
František Lexa was a Czechoslovakian Egyptologist. Lexa began his career as a secondary school teacher. Having learnt the Egyptian language by himself, he became the first person to translate and publish Egyptian texts into Czech in 1905...
published a transcription with commentaries and interpretations in French in the book Papyrus Insinger.
In the late 1970s, Karl-Theodor Zauzich (attendant for the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, commonly called The Penn Museum, is an archaeology and anthropology museum that is part of the University of Pennsylvania in the University City neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-History:An internationally renowned...
- Penn Museum) discovered three additional fragments in the Museum's collections belonging to the Insinger Papyrus. These were bought for the museum in Egypt in 1910.
The archive number of the papyrus at Rijksmuseum van Oudheden is F 95 / 5.1 and E 16333 A-C at the Penn Museum.
Literature
- Lexa, František; Papyrus Insinger (Librairie orientaliste: P. Geuthner, Paris; 1926)
- Williams, Ronald James; The morphology and syntax of Papyrus Insinger (University of Chicago Press, Chicago; 1948)
- Lichtheim, Miriam; Ancient Egyptian Literature: Volume III: The Late Period (University of California Press, Berkeley; 2006) ISBN 978-0520248441