Abydos Aramaic papyrus explained

Created:	417 BC
Location:	Madrid, Community of Madrid, Spain
Discovered Date:	1964

The Abydos Aramaic papyrus, also known as the Madrid Papyrus is an Aramaic papyrus purchased from an antiquities dealer by the National Archaeological Museum of Madrid in 1964. It was first published in 1964 by Javier Teixidor. The papyrus tells the story of two brothers who made a pilgrimage to Abydos, Egypt.^[1]

Its authenticity was challenged by Joseph Naveh in 1968;^[2] this assessment was disputed by Teixidor four years later.^[3]

The inscriptions reference to the "7th year of Darius", assumed to be Darius II, implies a dating of 417 BCE.

It is currently on display in the National Archaeological Museum of Madrid.

It is also known as TSSI II 29.

Notes and References

1. Teixidor . Javier . 1964 . Un nouveau papyrus araméen du règne de Darius II . Syria. Archéologie, Art et histoire . 41 . 3 . 285–290 . 10.3406/syria.1964.5736 . fr . Le papyrus nous parle de deux frères qui ont fait un pèlerinage à Abydos, ville sainte du dieu Osiris. .
2. Naveh . Joseph . 1968 . Aramaica Dubiosa . 543226 . Journal of Near Eastern Studies . 27 . 4 . 317–325 . 0022-2968.
3. Teixidor . Javier . 1972 . On the Authenticity of the Madrid Papyrus . 543792 . Journal of Near Eastern Studies . 31 . 4 . 340–342 . 0022-2968.