The revamped layout takes you on a colour-coded path through themed areas, touching on such topics as magic & medicine, religion, the writing process, private letters, etc.Įxperts tend to cite the Egyptian book of the dead of Sesostris from the 15th century BC as the absolute highlight of the collection. Which means a bright setting for the displays, multimedia presentations, and a bilingual experience: all text, audio etc. The museum reopened back in 2021 after a complete refit. Needless to say, the Papyrus Museum collection can now be found on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register. That sounds a bit pretentious, so let me put it another way: it’s kind of reassuring to think of Greek students grumbling over their maths homework, too. This commonality across the centuries reminds us of a shared human experience and the ephemeral nature of existence. Many of the texts, written in various languages depending on their age, address the same concerns we have today: credit agreements, letters of complaint, fish orders, medicinal recipes, and even maths exercises. An interest in ancient cultures helps, of course, but it’s a humbling experience to wander round. Inside, cabinets and screens present (surprise!) papyrus and related items from various eras of history. The museum’s historical theme becomes clear even before you enter the welcome area thanks to the hieroglyphic wall decorations as you approach. Yet the worth of the exhibits perhaps exceeds those more celebrity items thanks to the historical importance and age: some of the papyrus sheets are around 3,000 years old. Tucked away below ground in the National Library of Austria, the items in the small Papyrus Museum might seem banal in comparison: a recipe here, a prenuptial contract there. Mahler’s piano, the Holy Roman Emperor’s crown, Napoleon’s jacket, the bullet-ridden car from Sarajevo, before & after photos of me eating a giant Schnitzel, and so on. Vienna’s a great place for connections to the past. (Papyrusmuseum photo © Österreichische Nationalbibliothek/Pichler)
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