Fascinating Facts About Ancient Egyptian Papyrus

The ancient Egyptian civilization contains many great secrets that were recorded through ancient Egyptian papyrus, as the ancient Egyptians had a rich history full of stories and novels that were written on papyrus and placed in their tombs and historical temples, as some stories and secrets were announced recently and others have not been disclosed yet, and we will learn together about some other details about papyrus, so follow us.

Papyrus was one of the first types of paper in the world and is derived from the papyrus plant, and was called ancient Egyptian papyrus, and was developed in Egypt until it spread throughout the ancient world such as Western Asia, and before papyrus spread, many countries wrote on tablets made of clay.

Origins of Papyrus

The term papyrus is derived from the Greek word (papiros) and refers to a type of paper made from the pith of the papyrus plant, which is a plant native to the Nile Delta in Egypt. Papyrus was one of the first writing papers in the world and played an important role in the development of communication and writing in the ancient world.

Papyrus was made by removing the green outer shell of the papyrus plant, leaving the white inner pith. The pith was then cut into thin strips and placed in a crisscross pattern, then pressed well, and placed in the sun to become a soft, durable material ready for ink.

The first documented case of ancient Egyptian papyrus appeared during the First Dynasty of Egypt, but some researchers believe that papyrus was used as a basic writing material since 4000 BC, and was used until the eleventh century, and its most prominent competitors as a writing material were manuscripts made from animal skins and the Chinese method of making paper from rags, and the use of paper and parchment spread in Europe by the twelfth century, but papyrus was one of the best options in many places around the world.

The papyrus industry was developed in innovative ways by the ancient Egyptians and they exported it to several locations in the ancient world through trade and cultural exchange, and the Greeks adopted this material and it was widely used in the Roman Empire, and these manuscripts provided a great opportunity to spread literature, ideas and knowledge between civilizations.

Christ also used papyrus to write the New Testament in the early centuries after the death of the Messiah, and these Christian texts were in the form of manuscripts and contained several collected sheets like a modern book.

The ancient Egyptians were one of the greatest peoples who excelled in agriculture, industry, medicine, engineering and all other fields, and these fields were recorded on ancient Egyptian papyrus that monitored all the Pharaonic geniuses, as they knew the composition of the human body through the process of mummification of the dead, which they did in order to preserve the body of the dead.

Among the most famous papyrus in medicine are the Edwin Smith Papyrus, the Ebers Papyrus, the Kahun Papyrus, the London Papyrus, the Berlin Papyrus and many other medical treatment papyrus.

Ebers Papyrus

The Ebers Papyrus is one of the most famous ancient Egyptian papyrus that contains extensive medical information dating back to 1550 BC and is currently in Germany in the Leipzig University Library.

The document was purchased by George Ebers in 1873 in Luxor, and is about 110 pages long. It is one of the oldest medical documents in the world and includes about 700 magical and herbal prescriptions.

This papyrus explains the ancient Egyptians’ knowledge of the heart, but at the same time it contains special spells to get rid of demons. The most prominent medical topics covered by the manuscript are burns, dentistry, contraception, asthma, and orthopedics.

One of the most prominent ancient Egyptian papyrus that was found in 1889 is the Kahun Papyrus for the Treatment of Gynecological Diseases. 

This papyrus is now in the University of London and was written in hieratic. It dates back to the twenty-ninth year of the reign of Amenemhat III, 1825 BC.

The Kahun Papyrus for Gynecology also provides treatment recipes for people suffering from some symptoms, such as recipes given orally or placed inside or outside the vagina. 

The papyrus also talks about steaming the vagina by making a recipe to increase the chance of pregnancy, in addition to taking some vaginal suppositories as a safe method of contraception.

The Hearst Papyrus for Treating Reptile Bites and the Digestive System is one of the most famous ancient Egyptian papyrus that was found in 1901 AD. 

This papyrus consists of 18 pages containing 260 paragraphs, and it includes parts of the digestive system, reptile bites, the urinary system, bones, teeth, and blood. 

It also contains treatment recipes for some unspecified diseases.

The Chester Beatty Papyrus are part of a collection of papyrus donated by businessman Sir Alfred Beatty to the British Museum after they were found during excavation work in the village of the Theban Necropolis workers. These papyrus were dispersed to be displayed in several places, including the French Institute in Cairo, the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, and the Chester Beatty Museum in Dublin.

The third part of the Chester Beatty Papyrus includes magic spells specifically for treating migraines, and most of the paragraphs of the papyrus revolve around anal diseases.

The Carlsberg Papyri VIII and the Ramesseum Papyrus to determine the sex of the fetus and children’s diseases

The origins of the Carlsberg Papyri date back to the Nineteenth or Twentieth Dynasty, and the paragraphs of the papyrus revolve around methods of detecting pregnancy and knowing the sex of the fetus, as well as the woman’s ability to become pregnant or not.

The Ramesseum Papyrus was discovered in 1896, Seventeen papyrus were found in a wooden box inside a tomb behind the Ramesseum Temple in Thebes.

 This papyrus talks about pediatrics, gynecology, and ophthalmology, and also includes specific treatments for muscle and tendon injuries.