Papyrus Harris I

The Papyrus Harris I ( also Great Harris Papyrus ) is an ancient Egyptian papyrus from the 20th Dynasty. It is 40.5 meters long, 42.5 cm wide, was in 1855 near the mortuary temple of Ramses III. found at Medinet Habu and bought by the Englishman Anthony Charles Harris. This papyrus many other papyri were offered, including perhaps the Papyrus Abbott and other papyri found by grave robbers. It is located since 1872 in the British Museum under the signature Papyrus British Museum 9999.

The Papyrus Harris I is the most complete of its kind, with 42 m and the longest surviving papyrus and consists of 5 parts with 117 columns 12 to 13 rows and three vignettes. The document is dated the 32nd (government) year and the 6th day of the month IPIP, the date of death of Ramses III. , And was probably part of his funeral. The papyrus reveals three decades of the life of Ramses III ( 1194-1163 ) and was written by three writers in hieratic script. For a scientific study of the economic situation in the Ramesside this papyrus is of utmost importance.

Content

In the Papyrus Harris I is one of Ramses IV compiled list of donations which his predecessor Ramses III. before his assassination the country's temples had sent. The list was ostensibly of Ramses III. created, the individual sections ( temple of Amun at Karnak, Re temple of Heliopolis, temple of Ptah of Memphis and provincial temples ) with a prayer to Ramses IV concludes. In addition, the papyrus contains a historical section, which represents the transition from the 19th to the 20th Dynasty ( collapse of the old dynasty, battle of all against all, Syrian usurper, restoration of law by the new dynasty ).

In the first vignette Ramses III before the gods triad of Thebes ( Karnak ): Amun represented courage and Khonsu. Amun- Ra was shown here in human form with double feather crown. Courage is the wife of Amun and mother of Khonsu. She is depicted as a woman in a long, colorful and decorated with a feather pattern dress; on her head she wears a vulture cap and the " White Crown " of Upper Egypt. Khonsu, the moon god whose name means " wanderer " means. He is depicted falkenköpfig. His headdress consisting of a horizontal crescent moon and a full moon on it. The gifts listed in the Papyrus of the king to the temple were huge. But the list of Thebes includes 309 950 grain sacks and large amounts of metals and semi - precious stones.

In the Ennead of Heliopolis or Ennead was worshiped. It consisted of the gods: Atum, Shu, Tefnut, Geb, Nut, Osiris, Isis, Nephthys and Seth.

The third vignette shows the king in worshiping the gods triad of Memphis, one of the cities of the central administration of Egypt. Ramses holds the crook and flail and wearing the king reserved for clothing, ie the striped scarf ( "sash " ), the triangular apron and the bull's tail. The creator god Ptah is depicted as a mummy, his hands protrude from the mummy wrappings and hold a rod composed of Djed pillar, ankh - sign and what- scepter. The shaven head covered a tight - fitting cap, which leaves the ears. He wears a beard. Together with his wife, the lion goddess Sekhmet, and the lotus God Nefertem they form the triad of Memphis.

The Egyptologist August Eisenlohr gave the Papyrus Harris I, the term " The Great Harris Papyrus ," to distinguish it from that of François Chabas 1860 translated papyrus entitled " Le papyrus magique Harris ". Eisenlohr was the first who translated the ancient document into German. According to him, this is on the following parts:

  • Introduction Table 1
  • I. offerings to the gods of Thebes, Amun, Mut, Khonsu ( Table 2-23 ) List of gifts ( Table 10-21 )
  • II offerings to the gods of Heliopolis, Tum, Ra, Hermachis, juses, Nebhotep ( Table 24-42 ) where the gifts to the house of Hapi ( Nile) Heliopolis ( Plate 37, 14-41 ). Directory of shares ( table 31-41 ).
  • III. Offerings to the gods of Memphis, Ptah, Sekhet, Nefertum ( Table 43- 56b ) where the offerings to Hapi ( Nile) at Memphis ( table 54 - 56a). Directory of shares ( table 51- 56a).
  • IV offerings to the gods and goddesses of the northern and southern land ( Table 57-66 ). Directory of shares ( table 61-66 )
  • V. assortment of gifts. ( Table 67-74 ).
  • VI. Historical and conclusion ( Table 75-79 )
Medinet Habu (temple) Abbott Papyrus Ramesses III Ramesses IV Precinct of Amun-Re Plotinus Shu (Egyptian deity) Papyrus Harris 500
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