Khentiamentiu: Fwd: Rewriting the Narrative of Early Egyptology

Friday, July 27, 2018

Fwd: Rewriting the Narrative of Early Egyptology

Lost Papers of the

Abydos Temple Archive

In 2013, when Inspector Ayman Damarany reopened a long-sealed chamber in the slaughterhouse area of the Grand Temple of Seti I, he was surprised to find the room filled with thousands of documents.

When he took a closer look, he realized that what he had found was a depository belonging to the Sohag Inspectorate and the broader Egyptian Antiquities Service, with documents – mostly in Arabic – written by employees of the Antiquities Authority from as early as the 1820s. The reams of records included correspondence, excavation reports and survey maps made long before the landscape around the Abydos site took its current form. To organize and preserve the archive, Ayman put together an Egyptian-led international team with members from the Ministry of State for Antiquities, the United States and Europe.

This archive comprises a unique collection related to the early history of Egyptology, and is currently the only known one of its kind. Before being deposited in the slaughterhouse, these papers, maps and other documents had passed through the hands of the local workers and officials responsible for the management of Abydos and other sites in its vicinity over the recent past. Now, by preserving this precious archive – and eventually making it available to the public – the Abydos Temple Paper Archive aims to provide a more inclusive account of the development of early Egyptology. The project restores the voices of many Egyptian employees of the Antiquities Service who were critical players in bringing to light the history and heritage of ancient Egypt and who were, until now, a long-neglected part of Egypt's cultural heritage.

Learn more about the paper archive project and ways you can support Egypt's cultural heritage. »