Papyrus Carlsberg Collection
| Company type | Collection |
|---|---|
| Industry | Egyptology, Papyrology |
| Founded | 1930s |
| Founder | H. O. Lange |
| Headquarters | Copenhagen , Denmark |
| Owner | University of Copenhagen |
The Papyrus Carlsberg Collection represents a prominent repository of Egyptian papyri maintained by the University of Copenhagen. Initiated in the early 1930s by Professor H. O. Lange with financial support from the Carlsberg Foundation, the majority of the manuscripts were procured between 1931 and 1938. In 1939, with authorization from both the Ministry of Education and university authorities, the foundation formally donated the collection to the University of Copenhagen.
History
After its establishment in the 1930s, acquisitions continued until 1938, with the collection being housed within the Egyptology section of the Carsten Niebuhr Department at the Institute of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies in Denmark.
From 1943 to 1968, curator Aksel Volten played a key role in expanding the collection through purchases financed by the Carlsberg Foundation. In 2003, papyri written in demotic and hieratic scripts were reassigned to the Greek and Latin department’s papyrus holdings, coinciding with the integration of the Papyrus Haunienses Collection into the Papyrus Carlsberg Collection.
Contents
The Carlsberg Papyrus Collection encompasses more than 500 papyri along with a substantial amount of uncatalogued fragments. Its core comprises acquisitions supported by the Carlsberg Foundation and materials gathered by Professor H. O. Lange. The majority of texts are demotic and hieratic in origin, primarily dating to the Roman period, including several hundred manuscripts sourced from the temple library at Tebtunis.
By August 2015, scholars had catalogued 925 distinct manuscripts reconstructed from over 2,500 fragments examined over an extended period, while numerous additional fragments remain unclassified. The documents address a wide array of subjects such as astronomy, astrology, mathematics, cosmology, herbal remedies, legal guides, onomastica, world lists, grammar treatises, and dream interpretation.
Among significant holdings are the Teaching of King Merikare, obtained through Ludwig Borchardt, two Coptic codices acquired from Carl Schmidt, and several papyri from Professor Sander-Hansen’s collection. Although a large portion remains untranslated, leading Egyptologists expect that ongoing research will substantially deepen knowledge about ancient Egyptian disciplines including medicine, astronomy, botany, and astrology.
Carlsberg Papyrus VIII
The Carlsberg Papyrus VIII is an ancient Egyptian medical manuscript composed in hieratic script. The recto side covers ailments related to the eyes, while the verso deals with prognostications concerning childbirth, such as pregnancy confirmation and fetal sex determination. The recto originates from the 18th Dynasty (circa 1500 BCE), whereas the verso is dated to approximately 1400 BCE. This papyrus is among a scarce number of surviving medical documents from pharaonic times.
In comparison to other medical papyri like those from Kahun and Berlin, Carlsberg Papyrus VIII offers more elaborate pregnancy diagnostic methods, including tests involving hippopotamus excrement and garlic to evaluate conception and pregnancy status. The verso was published by Erik Iversen in 1939; however, the recto remains unpublished but is recognized for its close resemblance to portions of the Ebers Papyrus. Iversen assigned this manuscript to roughly the 19th–20th dynasties.
Carlsberg Papyrus XIII
Referred to as the Dream Book, Carlsberg Papyrus XIII contains explanations such as: "If a woman envisions another woman engaging in intercourse with her, it foretells an unfortunate outcome." A German version of this text was released in 1942 by Aksel Volten.
See also
External links
- of the Carlsberg Collection