The Oldest Papyri Yet Found Are a Pyramid Builder's Work Log #Shorts
Pack: 62 - The Oldest Papyri Yet Found Are a Pyramid Builder's Work Log
The oldest inscribed papyri yet found are not poems or prayers. They are the logbook of Merer, an inspector whose crew shipped limestone for the Great Pyramid. ▶ Full documentary on our channel: https://youtu.be/WYrRb3q1h50
- In 2013, a French-Egyptian team led by Pierre Tallet found the papyri at Wadi al-Jarf, an ancient harbour on the Red Sea coast (Archaeology, 2022; History.com).
- Merer led a crew of some 40 men, one of four such units, in Year 27 of King Khufu (Archaeology, 2022; History.com).
- His crew loaded limestone at the Tura quarries and sailed it along the Nile and canals to Giza, to a place he called Akhet-Khufu, the Horizon of Khufu: the Great Pyramid (Archaeology, 2022).
- They made two or three round trips every ten days, and reported to Ankhhaf, Khufu's half-brother (Archaeology, 2022; History.com).
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Quick answers
What is “The Oldest Papyri Yet Found Are a Pyramid Builder's Work Log” about?
The oldest inscribed papyri yet found are not poems or prayers. They are the logbook of Merer, an inspector whose crew shipped limestone for the Great Pyramid. ▶ Full documentary on our channel: https://youtu.be/WYrRb3q1h50
What are the key facts?
In 2013, a French-Egyptian team led by Pierre Tallet found the papyri at Wadi al-Jarf, an ancient harbour on the Red Sea coast (Archaeology, 2022; History.com). Merer led a crew of some 40 men, one of four such units, in Year 27 of King Khufu (Archaeology, 2022; History.com).
What sources is this Short based on?
It cites D. Weiss, Journeys of the Pyramid Builders, Archaeology (July/August 2022); History.com, Egypt's Oldest Papyri Detail Great Pyramid Construction; P. Tallet and M. Lehner, The Red Sea Scrolls (Thames & Hudson, 2021); review by M. Bárta. Links are in the Sources list below.
Sources
- D. Weiss, Journeys of the Pyramid Builders, Archaeology (July/August 2022)
- History.com, Egypt's Oldest Papyri Detail Great Pyramid Construction
- P. Tallet and M. Lehner, The Red Sea Scrolls (Thames & Hudson, 2021); review by M. Bárta
- P. Tallet and G. Marouard, The Harbor of Khufu on the Red Sea Coast at Wadi al-Jarf, Near Eastern Archaeology 77 (2014)
Images
- The Great Pyramid, photochrom, c. 1890–1900 — Photoglob Co., Library of Congress — Public domain —
- View of the Gulf of Suez, the Red Sea and the Nile from the ISS — NASA Johnson Space Center — Public domain —
- Nikare as a scribe, Dynasty 5 (not Merer) — The Met — CC0 —
- Pyramid of Khafre with surviving casing stones — Jerome Bon — CC BY 2.0 —
- Giza, Pyramids, 1870–1888 — Antonio Beato, Museo Egizio — CC0 —
- Model travelling boat, tomb of Meketre, c. 1981–1975 BCE — The Met — CC0 —
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