The Campbell Papyrus
- Gallery: Room 63
- Culture: 21st Dynasty
- Object type: papyrus
- Materials: papyrus
- Museum number: EA10793,1
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
Listen to the free audio guide
About this object
Before you is "The Campbell Papyrus," a beautifully painted papyrus created during Egypt’s 21st Dynasty. This fragment comes from the tomb of a high priest named Panedjem II and includes a colorful scene, or vignette, from the Book of the Dead.
Carefully written in Hieratic script, the papyrus shows rich offering scenes and a block of hieroglyphic text above it. The colors remain vibrant—deep reds, bright yellows, and delicate blues—showing the skill of the ancient Egyptian artists.
The text names Panedjem as a High Priest of Amun, one of the most powerful titles in ancient Egypt. You may notice Osiris, the god of the afterlife, referenced in the inscription.
This papyrus was discovered in Thebes, most likely in the tomb of a man named Inhapy. It was collected and donated by Mrs. Olive Douglas Methuen Campbell and is a remarkable example of how Egyptian beliefs about the afterlife were expressed in writing and art.
See it in person
The Campbell Papyrus is on display in Room 63 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and take a photo of it to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
New, in beta. British Museum support has just launched and is still improving: over 1,000 objects so far, with more added all the time.
