Evidence of an Ancient Archive? The Papyrus British Museum EA 9961

Used on both sides, the papyrus British Museum EA 9961 reproduces a marsh scene on the recto and a copy of the myth of Isis and her seven scorpions in cursive hieroglyphs on the verso. Although the high quality of the illustration is the most striking feature, the text has also been carefully laid out and written. This research seeks to investigate how, when and why this document, whose provenance and context are unknown, was composed. A detailed inspection of its surface using infrared photography helped to reveal many marks otherwise invisible and to retrace part of the history and deterioration of the roll. While the context of production will also be considered, we will examine if text and imagery were produced as models for the production of monuments or were secondary copies of older documents.