“The Book of the Dead of Ankhesenaset (P. BNF 62–88): Traces of a Workshop Production or Scribal Experiments?”
Résumé
P. BNF 62–88 is a ine Book of the Dead manuscript of Dynasty 21, belonging to the mistress
of the house, singer of Amun and chantress of the arm of Mut, Ankhesenaset (Fig. 1). It has
been identiied, on the basis of style and content, as part of a group of very similar Books of
the Dead originating from Thebes (Niwinski 1989, 35; Lenzo Marchese 2007, 305; Rössler-
Köhler 1999, 88–89; Munro 2001, 128; Lucarelli 2006, 238–39).
The papyrus is particularly notable for its marginalia, i.e., notes in the margin describing
the vignettes in the text, along with a unique arrangement of text around the pictures.
The papyrus is now in the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BNF, Richelieu site), as
part of the papyri collection of the Department of Manuscripts. It was initially held within
the Cabinet des Monnaies et Médailles, along with other Egyptian antiquities, before it was
transferred to the Department of Manuscripts in 1856. During the early nineteenth century,
the Bibliothèque imperiale, subsequently Bibliothèque royale, was an important centre for
European Egyptology. Later, its most impressive antiquities, including the king’s list from
Karnak and the Dendera zodiac, were sent to the Louvre (Sarmant 1994, 332). The present
day collection of Egyptian manuscripts amounts to 247 items (Berthier 2000, 32), almost half
of which are Books of the Dead. The process of making these available online is underway.
Domaines
HistoireOrigine | Fichiers éditeurs autorisés sur une archive ouverte |
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