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Papyrus with the plan of the tomb of Ramesses IV on the recto and several administrative texts on the verso

This papyrus is one of the many manuscripts of the well-known scribe Amennakht, who was the author of the plan and its annotations. It is apparently the “official” project of the tomb of king Ramesses IV. The right side is missing, as is the lower side with the left half of the tomb. Above is a stylized depiction of thee Theban mountain the tomb was cut into. In line with the principles of Egyptian art, the doors are drawn as if they were seen from the front, while the rooms are drawn in plan. The drawing is not in scale, but the measurements of each room are specified. Up to the Antechamber, they quite accurately correspond to those of the actual tomb of the king. Starting from the Sarcophagus Room, instead, the measurements of the real tomb are inferior to those in the plan. Furthermore, from here onward there was a shift in the tomb decoration from carved relief to simple painting, while the annotation envisage relief for the whole tomb. These discrepancies were presumably due to the sudden death of the king, which imposed hasty completion of the work.
Papyrus was a valuable material. It was hence common practice to also to use not only its recto – the side where the fibers ran horizontally, parallel to the long edges of the scroll, which was easier to write on – but also is back side or verso, the one, that is, where the fibers ran vertically, parallel to the short edges of the scroll. The verso of the papyrus with the plan of the tomb of Ramesses IV was thus reused to write three texts:
1. A list of measurements of several parts of an unspecified royal tomb, certainly to be identified as that of Ramesses V.
2. The recording of the division of the property of the famous scribe Amennakht among his children in the seventh regnal year of an unspecified king.
3. Fragments of a series of daily notes dated to the first year of an unspecified king.

Cat. 1885 TPOP
Plant fiber / Papyurs
120 cm x 35 cm
1156–1150 BCE
New Kingdom
Twentieth Dynasty
Ramesses IV
Deir el-Medina
Purchase Bernardino Drovetti, 1824
Museum / Floor 1 / Room 06 DEM / Central wall
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    Tipo=Opere biblioteca SottoTipo=Monografia o Opere Autore=Andreu, Guillemette (a cura di)-Andreu, Guillemette Titolo=Gli artisti del faraone: Deir el-Medina e le Valli dei Re e delle Regine Sottotiolo= In= Collana= Opera= Luogo=Milano Anno=2003 Menzionato=p. 173 Illustrazione=
  • Andreu, Guillemette (ed.)-Andreu, Guillemette, L'art du contour: le dessin dans l'Égypte ancienne, Paris 2013, pp. 206–207, pp. 206-207.
    Tipo=Opere biblioteca SottoTipo=Monografia o Opere Autore=Andreu, Guillemette (ed.)-Andreu, Guillemette Titolo=L'art du contour: le dessin dans l'Égypte ancienne Sottotiolo= In= Collana= Opera= Luogo=Paris Anno=2013 Menzionato=pp. 206-207 Illustrazione=pp. 206-207
  • Azara, Pedro (ed.)-Azara, Pedro, Las casas del Alma: maquetas arquitectónicas de la Antigüedad (5500 a.C./300 d.C.), Barcelona 1997, pp. 163–164, p. 163.
    Tipo=Opere biblioteca SottoTipo=Monografia o Opere Autore=Azara, Pedro (ed.)-Azara, Pedro Titolo=Las casas del Alma: maquetas arquitectónicas de la Antigüedad (5500 a.C./300 d.C.) Sottotiolo= In= Collana= Opera= Luogo=Barcelona Anno=1997 Menzionato=pp. 163-164 Illustrazione=p. 163
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    Tipo=Opere biblioteca SottoTipo=Monografia o Opere Autore=Baines, John-Leahy, M. Anthony-Garnet, Thomas-James, Henry-Shore (eds), Arthur Frank-Leahy, Anthony-(et al.) Titolo=Pyramid studies and other essays presented to I.E.S. Edwards Sottotiolo= In= Collana=Egypt Exploration Society - Occasional Publications Opera=7 Luogo=London Anno=1988 Menzionato=pp. 138-42 Illustrazione=
  • Carter, Howard-Gardiner, Alan H.-Carter, Howard and Alan H. Gardiner, “The tomb of Ramesses IV and the Turin plan of a royal tomb”, Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 4 (1917), p. 130–158, Plate XXIX, XXX.
    Tipo=Articolo di periodico SottoTipo= Autore=Carter, Howard-Gardiner, Alan H.-Carter, Howard and Alan H. Gardiner Titolo=The tomb of Ramesses IV and the Turin plan of a royal tomb Sottotiolo= In=Journal of Egyptian Archaeology Collana= Opera=4 Luogo= Anno=1917 Menzionato=p. 130-158 Illustrazione=Plate XXIX, XXX
  • David, Arlette, The legal register of Ramesside private law instruments (Gött.Or. : 4. Reihe, Ägypten), Wiesbaden 2010, pp.218–220.
    Tipo=Monografia SottoTipo= Autore=David, Arlette Titolo=The legal register of Ramesside private law instruments Sottotiolo= In= Collana=Gött.Or. : 4. Reihe, Ägypten Opera= Luogo=Wiesbaden Anno=2010 Menzionato=pp.218-220 Illustrazione=
  • Hornung, Erik, Zwei Ramessidische Könisgräber: Ramses IV. und Ramses VII (Theben 11), Mainz am Rhein 1990, p. 127.
    Tipo=Opere biblioteca SottoTipo=Monografia o Opere Autore=Hornung, Erik Titolo=Zwei Ramessidische Könisgräber: Ramses IV. und Ramses VII Sottotiolo= In= Collana=Theben Opera=11 Luogo=Mainz am Rhein Anno=1990 Menzionato=p. 127 Illustrazione=
  • Hsu, Shih-Wei-Hsu, Shih-Wei, Bilder für den Pharao: Untersuchungen zu den bildlichen Ausdrücken des Ägyptischen in den Königsinschriften und anderen Textgattungen (Probleme der Ägyptologie 36), Leiden 2017, p. 270.
    Tipo=Opere biblioteca SottoTipo=Monografia o Opere Autore=Hsu, Shih-Wei-Hsu, Shih-Wei Titolo=Bilder für den Pharao: Untersuchungen zu den bildlichen Ausdrücken des Ägyptischen in den Königsinschriften und anderen Textgattungen Sottotiolo= In= Collana=Probleme der Ägyptologie Opera=36 Luogo=Leiden Anno=2017 Menzionato=p. 270 Illustrazione=
  • Kitchen, Kenneth A., Ramesside Inscriptions: historical and biographical : vol. 6., Oxford 1983, pp. 58–60, 223–224, 229, 371, 416, 424.
    Tipo=Opere biblioteca SottoTipo=Monografia o Opere Autore=Kitchen, Kenneth A. Titolo=Ramesside Inscriptions: historical and biographical : vol. 6. Sottotiolo= In= Collana= Opera= Luogo=Oxford Anno=1983 Menzionato=pp. 58-60, 223-224, 229, 371, 416, 424 Illustrazione=
  • Kitchen, Kenneth A., Ramesside Inscriptions translated and annotated: Translations 6. : Ramesses IV to XI, and contemporaries, West Sussex, pp. 59–61, 173, 178, 290–291, 323, 328–329.
    Tipo=Opere biblioteca SottoTipo=Monografia o Opere Autore=Kitchen, Kenneth A. Titolo=Ramesside Inscriptions translated and annotated: Translations 6. : Ramesses IV to XI, and contemporaries Sottotiolo= In= Collana= Opera= Luogo=West Sussex Anno= Menzionato=pp. 59-61, 173, 178, 290-291, 323, 328-329 Illustrazione=
  • Lepsius, Karl Richard, Grundplan des Grabes König Ramses IV. in einem Turiner Papyrus, Berlino 1867, 1ss.
    Tipo=Opere biblioteca SottoTipo=Monografia o Opere Autore=Lepsius, Karl Richard Titolo=Grundplan des Grabes König Ramses IV. in einem Turiner Papyrus Sottotiolo= In= Collana= Opera= Luogo=Berlino Anno=1867 Menzionato=1ss Illustrazione=
  • Pleyte, Wilhelm-Rossi, Francesco, Papyrus de Turin: Textes, Leiden, pp. 100–102, pl. 71 - 72 (vol. 2).
    Tipo=Opere biblioteca SottoTipo=Monografia o Opere Autore=Pleyte, Wilhelm-Rossi, Francesco Titolo=Papyrus de Turin: Textes Sottotiolo= In= Collana= Opera= Luogo=Leiden Anno= Menzionato=pp. 100-102 Illustrazione=pl. 71 - 72 (vol. 2)
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