Brooklyn Papyrus

Overview

The Brooklyn Papyrus, housed in the Brooklyn Museum in New York, is a fragmentary administrative document dating to the Middle Kingdom period of ancient Egypt, approximately 1800 BCE. This papyrus fragment contains a list of foreign laborers, specifically Semitic slaves, who were employed on various construction projects throughout Egypt. The document provides a rare glimpse into the composition of the Egyptian workforce during a critical period of pyramid building and infrastructure development. Among the names recorded on the papyrus are several that closely resemble Hebrew names found in the biblical narrative, such as Asher, Jacob, and Joseph, suggesting a direct connection between the Egyptian records and the Israelite experience described in Exodus. The significance of this artifact lies in its potential to corroborate the biblical account of the Israelites' sojourn in Egypt, particularly in light of the traditional chronology that places the Exodus around the 13th century BCE. While the exact relationship between the Brooklyn Papyrus and the biblical narrative remains a topic of scholarly debate, its discovery has been instrumental in stimulating research into the historical context of the Exodus story. The papyrus serves as a tangible link between ancient Egyptian administrative practices and the broader geopolitical landscape of the ancient Near East, offering valuable insights into the complex dynamics of labor, migration, and cultural exchange during this era.

Inscription