The Amsterdam Papyrus APM09223 is a unique papyrus within the Allard Pierson collection: a complete manuscript written in the ancient Egyptian hieratic script. Its textual composition, visual layout, and abbreviated format distinguish it from other Ptolemaic period funerary papyri, offering valuable insights into both scribal practice and religious transmission during the late phases of ancient Egyptian history. It also provides us with information on the societal and economic status of the owner.
Provenance and chronology
The provenance of APM09223 remains unknown. The Bonn Totenbuch-Projekt website lists it as unidentified, while the Trismegistos Database (www.trismegistos.org) attributes it to Thebes (Luxor). Günter Burkard (Grabung im Asasif 1963-1970 Band III Die Papyrusfunde, 1986, page 17) suggests a possible origin in the Al-Asasif necropolis on Luxor’s Westbank, though without citing specific evidence. Regarding its dating, Burkard assigns the manuscript to the late Ptolemaic period (2nd–1st centuries BC), whereas Van Haarlem (Allard Pierson Mededelingen 101/102, 2010, page 15) proposes a first-century AD date—neither author provides paleographic arguments. A comparative analysis of the handwriting and layout may yield a more precise chronological framework. Further investigation into museum acquisition records and archival documentation is essential to clarify both its origin and date.
Meet Somteus
The papyrus belonged to the priest named Sematawy, in Greek Somteus, who was a draughtsman in a temple of Amun. He was the son of Herieb and his housewife Hathorete. While his name and titles are preserved on the papyrus, Somteus is not attested in any other known sources. Reconstructing his familial relations is a central objective of ongoing research on this manuscript.
The manuscript
The manuscript comprises six papyrus sheets fixed in a row, measuring approximately two meters in total length. The first and last sheets are blank, while the central four contain ten columns of text and vignettes (depictions) made in black ink. The absence of frames or column dividers is typical of abbreviated Book of the Dead copies produced from the Third Intermediate Period (1070–664 BC) onward. The sheet height (31 cm) corresponds with standard dimensions observed in papyri from the late third century BC through the end of the Ptolemaic period (332–32 BC, see Andrea Kucharek Altägyptische Totenliturgien 4, 2010, page 20).
The manuscript contains sixteen spells: fifteen from the Book of the Dead and one from the Opening of the Mouth ritual. The sequence and arrangement of these spells are unique and do not correspond to any of the 662 Ptolemaic manuscripts currently catalogued on the Totenbuch-Projekt website. This suggests either a local tradition or an abbreviated version derived from a now-lost example. The vignettes accompanying the text are similarly distinctive, with some scenes traceable to known editions and others of uncertain origin. Comparative iconographic analysis may illuminate workshop affiliations and stylistic transmission among scribes and artists of the period.
The current research has shown that the entire manuscript appears to have been produced by a single scribe, whose handwriting exhibits specific features. Identifying similar features in other papyri may help determine whether this individual was responsible for additional funerary manuscripts, thereby contributing to our understanding of scribal networks and production centers in the Ptolemaic period.
About the author
Naglaa Ezzeldeen is an Assistant Lecturer in the Department of Archaeology and Civilisations, Faculty of Arts, Helwan University. She earned her MA in Egyptology in 2018 with a thesis on unpublished Hieratic mummy bandages inscribed with Book of the Dead and Opening of the Mouth texts. Her current doctoral research focuses on a Ptolemaic Hieratic papyrus from Saqqara. Her academic interests include the evolution of funerary texts, scribal transmission, and regional variation from the New Kingdom through the Ptolemaic period.