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In November 2022, Heba Adly, an archaeologist in the Philadelphia Necropolis Project, discovered a deposit of papyri in the pit grave she was excavating.
This grave contained two mummies: a woman in her early 40s and a child. It was dug next to a large painted mausoleum structure from the 1st to 2nd centuries CE and formed part of a graveyard of later, less expensive burials clustering around this more prestigious tomb.
Once it was properly recorded in its findspot, the papyrus was straightened and conserved by Basem Gehad. It was placed between two pieces of glass – the normal method of preserving papyri for study in collections.
While much can be done with digital images and software can help enhance the colors and contrasts, it is essential to study a papyrus in person. Thus John Gibert and Yvona Trnka-Amrhein went to ancient Philadelphia in October 2023 to study the text with Basem Gehad and his team (with the generous support of CU Boulder’s Research and Innovation Office).
During this visit, infrared photos were taken which produce more contrast between the papyrus and the ink than conventional photos. These were essential for helping the editors read the more abraded parts of the papyrus’ first column. It is possible that with further imaging even more of this column will eventually be legible!
The papyrus belongs to the Egyptian State and will eventually be displayed in the Greco-Roman Museum in Alexandria.
Pictured:ÌýB. Gehad, Y. Trnka-Amrhein, J. Gibert, M. Naguib