049 Papyrus Column

Museum Description: Grey granite papyrus-column

Room: 4/Case: None/Number: EA 64

Scripture: Job 8:11

Judging by how tall this column is, it must have come from a very marshy place!  It was common for Egyptian buildings to have structural elements in the shape of a stylised plant or flower.  Papyrus grew abundantly next to the Nile, and was used to make the ark that Moses was put into as a baby.  It was also famously used to make writing paper, and the Greek word for the pith of the papyrus plant is the origin of our word for 'Bible'.  A Phoenician city was even named Byblos as it was a major centre of papyrus production.  The name of the Egyptian pharaoh Merneptah appears on this column.  The Merneptah Stela in the Cairo museum contains the oldest reference to the people 'Israel' outside the Bible.