Ancient Egypt How to look at a papyrus.
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Ancient Egypt How to look at a papyrus.
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Ancient Egypt How to look at 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. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Transcript of Ancient Egypt How to look at a papyrus.
Ancient EgyptHow to look at 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.
Museums used to cut the rolls of papyrus into sheets for easier storage and display.
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
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 provides information about everyday life in ancient Egypt and the
beliefs of the afterlife.
Osiris
Maat Nakht (the deceased)a pool
a househieroglyphsWhat can you see on this papyrus?Tjuiu (Nakht’s wife)trees
ankh
crook and flail
linen robes jewellery
wigs
Can you identify these people and gods?Can you identify these features of the ancient Egyptian environment?Can you identify some of the things people wore?Can you identify these ancient Egyptian symbols?
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 god Anubis?
• the chest of food offerings?
A scene showing the afterlife from the Book of the Dead of Nakht
This papyrus shows us some of the activities that the ancient Egyptians believed a person had to do in the afterlife.
Nakht, the tomb owner, is shown 8 times on the papyrus.
worshipping the gods?
rowing a boat?
looking after the crops?
ploughing the fields?
Can you see Nakht … weighing his heart against the feather of truth?
Find out more about the
ancient Egyptian papyrus at the British Museum
Visit the main Museum website
www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk
Use Explore to look at some of our papyri
www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/explore/introduction.aspx
Learn more about ancient Egypt
www.ancientegypt.co.uk
