The Ramesseum Dramatic Papyrus - A New Edition, Translation, and interpretation

The topic of the dissertation is a study on the Ramesseum Dramatic Papyrus, a document that was discovered together with other papyri and funerary objects in a late Middle Kingdom tomb in Ramses II’s funerary temple on the West bank of Luxor. The thesis will cover an analysis of the complete find, providing information on the provenance of the collection, the circumstances of its discovery, the dating of the papyri, and the identity of the tomb owner. The focus of the dissertation, however, is the Ramesseum Dramatic Papyrus itself, which features the guideline for the performance of a ritual. The preservation and fabrication of the manuscript is described as well as the layout of the text. Based on a copy of the original text done with the help of a tablet PC, an up-dated transliteration and translation of the text is provided, accompanied by a commentary. The text has been studied by several scholars, but a convincing interpretation of the manuscript is lacking. Thus, the dissertation will analyse the previous works on the papyrus, and will compare the text of the manuscript with other attested rituals from ancient Egypt. By highlighting the differences and similarities the text has with these other ceremonies, the exact nature of the rites described in the Ramesseum Dramatic Papyrus can be identified. Finally, a new interpretation of the text is offered, suggesting that the ceremony concerns a statue ritual performed in commemoration of Senwosret I’s accomplishments at Karnak.Ph