Pierre Tallet, lead archaeologist at Wadi al-Jarf, has recently published a book (Fr.) - [
www.ifao.egnet.net] (MIFAO 136) - containing a detailed commentary on the surviving papyri fragments (probably the oldest written papyri in the world) found at the ancient Red Sea port of Wadi al-Jarf (probably the oldest harbour in the world). These include fragments of Inspector Merer’s logbooks that, covering a period of some months, record his trips up and down the Nile between the quarries at Tura and the Great Pyramid construction site (
Akhet Khufu) at Giza (MIFAO 136: 40, 44 and
passim), probably at the end of Khufu’s reign. (Accounts papyri were also found, and will be the subject of a future volume).
The archaeological site of Wadi al-Jarf itself has already been described elsewhere; the authenticity of the papyri and other discoveries is therefore of course beyond all question.
Merer, and his colleague, Dedi, were probably responsible for writing their own documents (34).
The papyri comprising Merer’s logbook (Merer himself was perhaps one of fifteen heads of phyles (MIFAO 136: 45)), were found at the entrance to two rock galleries, G1 and G2 (5). This - [
f-origin.hypotheses.org] - (p41) describes how all the galleries at Wadi al-Jarf were blocked
(“toutes … condamnées”) by massive limestone slabs. Tallet and his team suggest that the logbooks, perhaps originally in a linen bag, were abandoned when the news of Khufu’s death reached Wadi al-Jarf, where Merer and his crew were working, probably with the purpose of transporting supplies to troops on Sinai (12) following a seasonal change in conditions on the Nile that meant that they couldn’t transport stone any longer that season (MIFAO 136: 10, 12, 29, 45, 46). Khufu’s death presumably meant that there was no longer any point in keeping records for officials belonging to his administrative system.
Papyrus A contains several mentions of She Khufu, “Pool (or Lake) of Khufu” (e.g., 39p, 47), and Ro She Khufu, “entrance to the Pool (or Lake) of Khufu” (e.g., 42).
So where were these mysterious locations, and why did Merer and his men sometimes go to one, and sometimes another?
More to follow ...
Hermione
Director/Moderator - The Hall of Ma'at
Rules and Guidelines
hallofmaatforum@proton.me
