Outstanding discovery in Trento: fragments of a very rare Egyptian papyrus found

An extraordinary find enriches the archaeological holdings of Trento’s Castello del Buonconsiglio. In the course of studying and cataloguing the Egyptian materials preserved in the museum, archaeologist Annamaria Azzolini and Egyptologist Barbara Gilli identified four fragments of a very rare papyrus: it is the Book of the Dead of Senemnetjer, an Egyptian dignitary who lived between the reign of Hatshepsut and Thutmosis III (1479-1425 B.C.).

Until now, only two fragments of this papyrus were known: one preserved at the Archaeological Museum in Florence, the other dispersed but known thanks to a drawing by Egyptologist Karl Richard Lepsius. The discovery of the Trentino fragments now makes it possible to better reconstruct this precious Ancient Egyptian evidence, which turns out to be one of the earliest known papyrus specimens of the Book of the Dead, the funerary text used to guide the soul of the deceased on its journey to the afterlife.

A unique and rare papyrus

The Senemnetjer papyrus, made for the fleet admiral and chief oarsman of the temple of Ptah at Memphis and found in the Memphite necropolis of Saqqara, is a composition of a magical-funerary nature that served to guide and aid the deceased in the afterlife. Most coeval papyri found in burials come from Thebes, where the Book of the Dead was developed during the 18th dynasty (1539-1292 BCE), while those from Memphis are extremely rare.

Making the discovery even more exceptional is the fact that only four other manuscripts bear this particular arrangement on two registers. Of them, only two turn out to be complete: the papyrus of the royal nurse Bakai, kept at the National Museum in Warsaw, and the famous papyrus of Nebseni, kept at the British Museum in London.

Thanks to the new fragments discovered in Trent, the Senemnetjer papyrus is enriched with hitherto unknown details, offering scholars a valuable opportunity to deepen their knowledge of Ancient Egyptian funerary and religious practices.

The Egyptian collection of the Castello del Buonconsiglio

The presence of Egyptian artifacts in the Buonconsiglio Castle is linked to the figure of Taddeo De Tonelli, an officer of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and a great enthusiast of Ancient Egypt. In the 19th century, Tonelli donated a rich collection of Egyptian artifacts to the museum, including fragments of the Senemnetjer papyrus.

The acquisition of such valuable artifacts is explained by Tonelli’s role between 1821 and 1827 as commander of Austrian troops in the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. In those years, in fact, the port of Livorno was the arrival point for important shipments of Egyptian artifacts from Alexandria. A first shipment arrived in Italy in 1820 and was destined for the imperial court in Vienna, while a second, in 1822, was acquired by the Royal Galleries of Florence thanks to the work of Michele Arcangelo Migliarini, director of the Florentine collections.

It was precisely Tonelli’s proximity to Migliarini and his presence in Tuscany during that crucial period that leave one to speculate that the official acquired the papyrus fragments through the second expedition organized by the consular chancellor of Austria in Egypt, Giuseppe Nizzoli. Confirming this theory, many of the objects in the Trentino collection find a correspondence with those preserved in Florence.

The Egyptian section of the museum reopens at the end of the year

The discovery of the Senemnetjer papyrus comes at an important time for Buonconsiglio Castle. After lengthy work to reorganize and study the collection, the museum’s Egyptian section will once again be accessible to the public by the end of the year.

The exceptional discovery of the papyrus fragments thus offers a new key to understanding the history of Ancient Egyptian funerary practices and reinforces the value of the Trentino Egyptian collection, bringing to light a piece of history that seemed lost.

Outstanding discovery in Trento: fragments of a very rare Egyptian papyrus found

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