The conservation of Demotic Papyrus 9, c513BCE
Project cost: £53,997
Grant award: £10,184
An innovative conservation treatment was needed for the John Rylands' Demotic Papyrus 9 (c. 513 BCE), one of the most significant documents for the study of Late Period Egypt. Past treatment and accidental damage rendered it completely illegible and far too unstable to be accessed by researchers.
Rylands Demotic Papyrus 9 dates from the reign of Darius I (c. 513 BCE) and is one of the most significant documents for the study of Late Period Egypt. This scroll, discovered in 1896, is known to experts in Demotic studies as The Petition of Petiese. It relates a fascinating story about the persecution of the priestly Petiese family from El-Hîbeh at the hands of other priests, and Petiese’s efforts to rectify this injustice by petitioning the court. The scroll is 4.2m long and contains 25 columns of literary Demotic written on 32 kollemas, with writing covering all of the recto and most of the verso. It is a treasure trove of information about Egyptian economics and law, socio-religious history, and temple administration in Middle Egypt. The scroll is one of the most important Egyptian literary texts ever discovered.
In the late 19th century, Demotic 9 was mounted in an oak frame between two sheets of glass. In 1967 it was severely damaged by a disastrous treatment involving the application of sunflower oil, surgical spirit, and acacia gum to its surface in an attempt to improve the legibility of the text. The sunflower oil darkened the papyrus support, rendering the black text almost illegible against the dark brown background. It also caused the support to adhere to the glass sheet on the reverse. The front sheet of glass subsequently shattered while the scroll was stored flat in storage and glass shards became embedded in the papyrus. In 2003 the papyrus was stored in a wooden crate, unavailable to researchers.
In 2019, the larger glass shards were removed and the loose papyrus fragments were re-housed in archival folders. In 2020, mass spectroscopic analysis of a substance that had leached from the fragments onto the folders revealed the presence of oleic and linoleic fatty acids (sunflower oil) on the papyri, which were still actively deteriorating the fibres. Multi-spectral imaging (MSI) was performed on the adhered scroll and fragments. Luminescence of the ink in infrared light confirmed that it is carbon-based.
In 2022, the remaining glass shards were mechanically cleaned along with other debris from the scroll. Testing and research produced an effective three-stage enzyme treatment to clean the papyrus without damaging the ink.
Outcomes
The innovative conservation methodology developed and applied by Elisabeth Carr and the Collection Care team to stabilise and conserve the Demotic Papyrus 9 has benefited the general public, Egyptologists and fellow conservators with new treatment approaches of the enzyme treatments on very fragile supports. Thanks to this NMCT-funded project:
1. Staff, volunteers, and interns participated in this novel treatment method and learned from it. The project involved collaboration with several departments and external stakeholders, providing a model for treating other papyri with similar issues.
2. Both scholars and the general public can access the papyrus directly, 57 years after the initial incident. The research process accompanying the project also uncovered archival photographs of the text before it was damaged in the 1970s, which are now accessible through the LUNA image platform.
3. New imaging with the latest multi-spectral technology has facilitated an updated study. The only published English translation of the work was completed in 1909. Our understanding of Egyptian languages and culture has advanced immeasurably since then, and a new translation is needed to reflect the current state of the field.
4. The conservation project has led to the creation of a multidisciplinary team working on a book, now in progress. This book benefits from a holistic approach, covering the historical significance of the scroll, providing an updated translation, and detailing the conservation treatment, multi-spectral imaging, and analytical tests.
The conservation of Demotic Payrus 9 has preserved a valuable piece of history and enhanced our ability to study and understand it, setting a precedent for handling similar cases in the future.
The scroll during treatment
