The power of the words: News from Egypt in the Papyrus Museum Vienna!

The power of the words: News from Egypt in the Papyrus Museum Vienna!

The Papyrus Museum Vienna celebrates the opening of a new exhibition on the subject of "The Power of Words". This will open on June 12, 2025 and remains open until May 3, 2026. The aim is to illustrate the influence of language on administration, culture and society in ancient Egypt. The presentation addresses the exchange between different language and culture circles and shows Papyri from a comprehensive period of time, the period of 1500 BC. Chr. To 1000 AD, which in its diversity document the multilingualism of this era.

The exhibition is enriched by significant exhibits, including a Greek-demotic marriage contract from 142 BC. BC and a complaint from priests in Greek armed with a variety of public and private documents that stimulate thought. As reports vienna.at, the audience is also encouraged to deal with the fact that after conquering Alexander, the big one for the language of the rulers, while the Egyptian language rose until the 10th century. Chr. Remained.

insights into multilingualism

The exhibition is part of a greater scientific interest in multilingualism in ancient Egypt. One aspect of this research area is the large number of communication languages ​​that were based on Egypt for a thousands and a half of millennia. The papyri have a wide variety of linguistic registers, from personal documents without intentional preservation to official administrative documents. These documents are invaluable for understanding ancient society and the development of language in this region, such as Taylor & Francis explained.

The research by Bernhard Palme, a papyrus researcher and member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences is particularly in the spotlight. In his analyzes, he emphasizes the importance of papyri that offer valuable insights into the everyday life of people in Roman and late antique Egypt. The Greek became an official language in the Hellenistic period, while the majority of the population continued to speak Egyptian. As [archaeology42.de] (https://www.archaeologie42.de/interViews-mit-nach-s- after-mit-bernhard-palme-ueber- Mehrs-im-alt-agypt-undwas-papyrue-darueber-raten/), Latin was also in a limited form during the Roman rule, mainly present official documents without being widespread in everyday life.

event details

The exhibition "The Power of Words" is open from Tuesday to Wednesday between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. and Thursday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Interested parties are invited to deal with the complex linguistic and cultural dynamics that shaped the old Egypt.

• exhibition: The power of the words
• duration: June 12, 2025 - May 3, 2026
• Opening times: Tue-MI 10 am-6pm, Thu 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Fri-Sun 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
• exhibits:
  • Greek-demotic marriage contract of 142 BC Chr.
  • Greek complaint from priests from 87 AD
  • hieratical mummy bandage

The exploration of the multilingual dimensions of Egypt is brought into awareness through this fascinating exhibition, and it illuminates the multi -layered historical relationships that were shaped by language.