Turin Erotic Papyrus
Encyclopedia
The Turin Erotic Papyrus (Papyrus 55001, also called the Erotic Papyrus or even Turin Papyrus) is a famous ancient Egyptian
papyrus
scroll-painting that was created during the Ramesside Period (approximately in 1150 B.C.E.). Discovered in Deir el-Medina in the early 19th century, it has been dubbed "world's first men's mag." Measuring 8.5 feet (2.6 m) by 10 inches (25.4 cm), it consists of two parts, one of which contains twelve erotic
vignettes depicting various sex positions. It is currently held by the Museo Egizio
in Turin
, Italy.
. This part of the scroll-painting has been described as satirical and humorous.
Not conforming the convention of bodily perfection in ancient Egyptian art, the men depicted on the papyrus are "scruffy, balding, short, and paunchy" with exaggeratedly large genitalia. In contrast, the women are nubile
and appear with canonical erotic images of convolvulus
leaves, Hathoric imagery, lotus flowers, monkeys and sistra. Overall, the artistic merit of the images is high, suggesting that the Erotic Papyrus had an elite owner and audience.
The various male images have also been interpreted as a single protagonist, who has several encounters with a courtesan.
Modern audiences often misconceive that ancient Egyptian art is devoid of sexual themes. After Jean-François Champollion
saw the papyrus in 1824 at Torino, he described it as "an image of monstrous obscenity that gave me a really strange impression about Egyptian wisdom and composure."
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...
papyrus
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....
scroll-painting that was created during the Ramesside Period (approximately in 1150 B.C.E.). Discovered in Deir el-Medina in the early 19th century, it has been dubbed "world's first men's mag." Measuring 8.5 feet (2.6 m) by 10 inches (25.4 cm), it consists of two parts, one of which contains twelve erotic
Eroticism
Eroticism is generally understood to refer to a state of sexual arousal or anticipation of such – an insistent sexual impulse, desire, or pattern of thoughts, as well as a philosophical contemplation concerning the aesthetics of sexual desire, sensuality and romantic love...
vignettes depicting various sex positions. It is currently held by the Museo Egizio
Museo Egizio
The Museo Egizio is a museum in Turin, Italy, specialising in Egyptian archaeology and anthropology. It houses the world's largest and most comprehensive collection of Egyptian antiquities outside the Egyptian Museum in Cairo...
in Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
, Italy.
Animal section
The first third depicts animals performing various human tasksAnthropomorphism
Anthropomorphism is any attribution of human characteristics to animals, non-living things, phenomena, material states, objects or abstract concepts, such as organizations, governments, spirits or deities. The term was coined in the mid 1700s...
. This part of the scroll-painting has been described as satirical and humorous.
Erotic section
Containing twelve successive scenes, the erotic section takes up two-thirds of the Turin Papyrus.Not conforming the convention of bodily perfection in ancient Egyptian art, the men depicted on the papyrus are "scruffy, balding, short, and paunchy" with exaggeratedly large genitalia. In contrast, the women are nubile
Nubile
Nubile refers to a young woman who is ready or suitable for marriage by virtue of her age or maturity. In recent times it has also been used to refer to a sexually attractive young woman.-Etymology:...
and appear with canonical erotic images of convolvulus
Convolvulus
Convolvulus is a genus of about 200 species of flowering plants in the bindweed family Convolvulaceae, with a cosmopolitan distribution. Common names include bindweed and morning glory, both names shared with other closely related genera....
leaves, Hathoric imagery, lotus flowers, monkeys and sistra. Overall, the artistic merit of the images is high, suggesting that the Erotic Papyrus had an elite owner and audience.
The various male images have also been interpreted as a single protagonist, who has several encounters with a courtesan.
Uniqueness
The severely damaged Erotic Papyrus is the only known erotic scroll-painting to have survived.Modern audiences often misconceive that ancient Egyptian art is devoid of sexual themes. After Jean-François Champollion
Jean-François Champollion
Jean-François Champollion was a French classical scholar, philologist and orientalist, decipherer of the Egyptian hieroglyphs....
saw the papyrus in 1824 at Torino, he described it as "an image of monstrous obscenity that gave me a really strange impression about Egyptian wisdom and composure."