Deir el-Medina ostraca in the Petrie Museum
Flinders Petrie collected dozens of hieratic ostraca, mainly from Thebes, though the place and dates of acquisition remain to be established. In the standard selection of such material drawn mainly from European collections (Cernư/Gardiner 1957), the Petrie ostraca represented the largest group after that of Alan Gardiner (the Gardiner collection is now preserved in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford). The selection included most of the 91 ostraca, with facsimile copies of the originals, and hieroglyphic transcriptions for learners and for those who cannot read hieratic. There is no translation, but the introductory pages provide a guide to the contents of each item.
Below is hieratic ostracon Petrie 38, one of the largest in the collection, with a Ramesside copy of an excerpt from the Prophecy of Neferty (click on the picture for a larger image).
The Petrie ostraca range over the full spectrum of topics covered by these writings, and are mainly on small pieces of limestone - effective as a background for writing in black and red, and, in the tomb-cutting projects along the Theban mountain edge, abundant. A small proportion of the ostraca are on fragments of pottery, giving a less clear contrast for writing in red, but still an effective background colour for writing in black. There are few examples where the place of acquisition is recorded, but the contents confirm that the great majority of these ostraca are from Thebes - either Deir el-Medina itself, or places where the Deir el-Medina crews worked (principally the royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings).
For initial reference, the spectrum of content may be divided into the categories suggested below, though these are problematic with such small passages of writing - an apparently literary composition may be part of an incantation to be recited to restore good health to a person, as in the start of the Tale of Isis and Ra, for which the healing purpose is demonstrated by the long version preserved on a papyrus probably from Deir el-Medina now in Turin. The numbers of Petrie Museum ostraca in each category are given for reference only, as the sample is too small to offer a reliable guide to the likely proportion of output in original production.
documentary (33 ostraca, including two Dynasty 18 perhaps from Deir el-Bahri?)
legal (9 ostraca)
letters (7 ostraca, of which two not certain)
teaching (3 ostraca - one letter copy, one verb paradigm, one list of rare words)
literary (30 ostraca)
religious (4 ostraca)
health (incantations) (5 ostraca, of which one not certain)
Compare the page on scope of writing in ancient Egypt
Petrie also assembled a collection of 'figured ostraca', or sketches by artists, draughtsmen, scribes, also on pieces of pottery or limestone. Although usually separated for modern analysis, most 'figured ostraca' come from the same world of production as most hieratic ostraca, and should be considered together. They are not included in the list below, but listed in full on the linked page, to avoid confusion in reference, as Petrie gave to both sets sequence numbers starting at 1.
The following list of Petrie hieratic ostraca is in the sequence as numbered within the Petrie collection, by which the material is most often cited: also given are the current museum number with UC prefix, the plate reference in Cernư/Gardiner 1957, and the contents.
Petrie Ostracon no. | Current museum no. | Gardiner-Cerny 1957, pl. | contents type | contents details |
1 | UC 39604 | 32.2 | documentary | list of objects with prices |
2 | UC 39605 | 32.3 | documentary | about donkey taken by Khary |
3 | UC 39606 | 16.3 | documentary | bull purchase by Amenmes |
4 | UC 39607 | 72.3 | documentary | about donkey hire and return |
5 | UC 39608 | 35.3 | documentary | yarn distributed for lampwicks |
6 | UC 39609 | 7.3 | religious | plea to Amun for help |
7 | UC 39610 | 3.2 | literary/health | start of Tale of Isis and Ra |
8 | UC 39611 | 10.3 | literary | on hardships of military life |
9 | UC 39612+ODeM 424 | 42.3 | legal | donkey hire dispute |
10 | UC 39613 | 17.4 | dates/sketch | dates, and sketch of Judgment |
11 | UC 39614 | 1 | literary | moralizing composition (cf 45) |
12 | UC 34322 | (not published in G-C) | literary | Tale of Sanehat (B 236-253) |
13 | (not located 2002) | 5.2 and 114.2 | literary | Satirical Letter, extract |
14 | UC 39615 | 45.1 | legal | promise to supply donkey |
15 | UC 39616 | 26.5 | documentary | list of wood objects with prices |
16 | UC 39617 | 21.1 | legal | details of an inheritance |
17 | UC 39618 | 28.2 | documentary | furniture made by Pashed |
18 | UC 39619 | 70.1 | legal | Amenpahapy accusing his wife |
19 | UC 39620 | 19.3 | documentary | payment by Userhat in objects |
20 | UC 39621 | 32.1 | documentary | account, donkey-loads of straw |
21 | UC 39622 | 16.4 | legal | oracle appeal in house dispute |
22 | UC 39623 | 40.4 | religious | hymn (to Amun-Ra?) for king |
23 | UC 39624 | 45.2 | documentary | royal tomb workforce supplies |
24 | UC 39625 | 21.3 | documentary | food supplies for workers |
25 | UC 39626 | 34.1 | documentary | royal tomb workforce supplies |
26 | UC 39627 | 16.2 | letter/sketch | memo of letter, and boat sketch |
27 | UC 32266 | 10.1 | literary | start of Satire of Trades |
28 | UC 39628 | 8.7 | teaching | paradigm of verb iw, word list |
29 | UC 39629 | 11.2 | literary | part of Teaching of Amenemhat |
30 | UC 32067 | 19.2 | documentary | wood supplied for royal tomb |
31 | UC 39630 | 35.1 | documentary | food supplies to individuals |
32 | UC 39631 | 29.2 | documentary | objects brought by a woman |
33 | UC 39632 | 13.2 | religious | 'serve Amun' (also no.72) |
34 | UC 39633 | 29.1 | legal | payment promise, complaint |
35 | UC 39634 | 12.2 | health | incantation (duplicate in Turin) |
36 | UC 39635 | 23.1, 114.7 | teaching | list of words, mostly rare |
37 | UC 39636 | 29.3 | documentary | dispute, and business deal |
38 | UC 39637 | (not published in G-C) | literary | Prophecy of Neferty, par.6-7 |
39 | UC 39638 | 8.3 | literary | appeal to return to Thebes |
40 | UC 39639 | 13.1 | literary | part of Satire of Trades |
41 | UC 39640 | 12.1 | health | incantation, with Thoth hymn |
42 | UC 39641 | 28.4 | documentary | list of objects priced in Snaty |
43 | UC 39642 | 32.5 | documentary | list of objects, same hand as 42 |
44 | UC 39643 | 14.3 | literary | part of unidentified composition |
45 | UC 39644 | 7.2 | literary | moralizing composition (cf 11) |
46 | UC 39645 | 24.5 | documentary | payment in grain, herbs, etc |
47 | UC 39646 | 17.3, 114.4 | teaching | copy of letter to Ramesses II |
48 | UC 39647 | 31.4 | documentary | list of objects with prices |
(49) | (renumbered 88) | |||
50 | UC 39648 | 19.1 | documentary | royal tomb workforce supplies |
51 | UC 39649 | 28.1 | documentary | property held by others |
52 | UC 31995 | 13.3 | literary | part of unidentified composition |
53 | UC 39650 | 4.5 | literary | part of Teaching of Hordedef |
54 | UC 39651 | 20.3 | documentary | supplies of vegetables |
55 | UC 39652 | 13.4 | literary | part of Satire of Trades |
56 | UC 39653 | 43.2 | literary | part of Teaching of Amenemhat |
57 | UC 39654 | 14.2 | literary | part of Teaching of Amenemhat |
58 | UC 31996 | (not published in G-C) | literary | part of Tale of Sanehat |
59 | UC 31997 | (not published in G-C) | literary | Tale of Sanehat (B 250-255) |
60 | UC 39655 | 18.2 | legal | oath to pay debt to Buqenentuf |
61 | UC 39656 | 23.4 | legal | house guarantee to daughter |
62 | UC 39657 | 73.2 | letter | request to wife for writing items |
63 | UC 39658 | 33.4 | letter | (most illegible) |
64 | UC 39659 | 21.2 | documentary | objects brought by a woman |
65 | UC 32245 | 34.3 | letter | request for a good quality bird |
66 | UC 34323 | 11.3 | literary | Tale of Sanehat (B 143-151) |
67 | UC 32054 | 20.1 | legal | oath to pay for a garment |
68 | UC 31998 | (not published in G-C) | literary | unidentified composition |
69 | UC 31999 | (not published in G-C) | literary | part of Teaching of Man to Son |
70 | UC 32000 | (not published in G-C) | literary | part of Satire of Trades |
71 | UC 32001 | (not published in G-C) | literary | (faded writing) |
72 | UC 39660 | 14.4 | religious | 'serve Amun' (also no.33) |
73 | UC 39661 | 66.3 | documentary | royal tomb workforce supplies |
74 | UC 32002 | (not published in G-C) | literary | part of Satire of Trades |
75 | UC 32003 | (not published in G-C) | letter | (parts of two lines only) |
76 | UC 39662 | 11.4 | literary | moralizing composition |
77 | UC 39663 | 6.3 | literary | part of Teaching of Amenemhat |
78 | UC 39664 | 35.4 | documentary | record of hire of a donkey |
79 | UC 39665 | (not published in G-C) | documentary | memo? |
80 | UC 39666 | 40.2, 114.5 | literary | unidentified composition |
81 | UC 39667 | (not published in G-C) | documentary | commodity account |
82 | UC 39668 | 35.2 | letter? | (contents uncertain) |
83 | UC 31905 | (not published in G-C) | literary | advice for writing pupil |
84 | UC 39669 | (not published in G-C) | documentary | (Dynasty 18 account) |
85 | UC 39670 | 34.2 | documentary | record of fish received |
86 | UC 39671 | (not published in G-C) | documentary | (Dynasty 18 account) |
87 | UC 39672 | 14.6 | literary | part of Teaching of Amenemhat |
88 | UC 39673 | 8.6 | health | incantation (?) |
89 | UC 39674 | 44.3 | health (?) | incantation (?) |
90 | UC 39675 | 12.3 | literary | part of Satire of Trades |
91 | UC 39676 | 42.2 | documentary | record of a business deal |
92 | UC 39677 | 42.1 | letter (?) | on failure to deliver supplies |
Copyright © 2002 University College London. All rights reserved.