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Institute of Archaeology

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Digital Lahun Papyri

The collections of the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology UCL include the largest surviving group of Middle Bronze Age (Middle Kingdom) manuscripts, a range of papyrus fragments from the town-site at Lahun (Fayoum), now preserved in two hundred glass frames.

From the full edition of the UCL Lahun papyri by Stephen Quirke and Mark Collier (2002-2006), a new digitisation project has initiated rescanning as the basis for new research with Dr Tim Weyrich (UCL Computer Science) and Professor A Constantinides (Imperial College London).

The triple goals of the overall research Digital Lahun Papyri programme are:

  • computer-enhanced palaeography
  • literacy research
  • computer-enhanced material study of papyrus paper

In 2010 one hundred frames of fragments were scanned, and Antonio Castaneda (UCL Computer Science) began analysis in the material properties of the papyrus paper. International funding is sought for continuing the programme at postdoctoral level, for an Egyptology postdoctoral candidate to assist computer science/engineering postdoctoral candidate in the digital palaeography and materiality research.

Related outputs

  • Stephen Quirke, Agendas for Digital Palaeography in an Archaeological Context: Egypt 1800 BC, in Franz Fischer et al.,Codicology and Palaeography in the Digital Age, BoD Norderstedt 2010:279-294