Westcar Papyrus
| Westcar Papyrus | |
|---|---|
Westcar Papyrus on display in the Ägyptisches Museum, Berlin | |
| Created | c. 1650 BC |
| Discovered | Egypt |
| Discovered by | Henry Westcar |
| Present location | Berlin, Germany |
The Westcar Papyrus (inventory-designation: P. Berlin 3033) is an ancient Egyptian text containing five stories about miracles performed by priests and magicians. In the papyrus text, each of these tales are told at the royal court of King Khufu (Cheops) (Fourth Dynasty, 26th century BCE) by his sons.
The surviving material of the Westcar Papyrus consists of twelve columns written in hieratic script. The document has been dated to the Hyksos period (18th to 16th century BC) and states that it is written in classical Middle Egyptian. Egyptologists think it is possible that the Westcar Papyrus was written during the Thirteenth Dynasty. The papyrus has been used by historians as a literary resource for reconstituting the history of the Fourth Dynasty.
The papyrus is now on display under low-light conditions in the Egyptian Museum of Berlin.