INTRODUCTION[1]
The Rhind Mathematical Papyrus was found at Thebes in the ruins of a small building near the Ramesseum. It was purchased in 1858 by A. Henry Rhind and after his death came into the possession of the British Museum. It is a copy that was made by a scribe named Aꜥhmose and begins with a rather ambitious statement of what the author proposes to do. The date at which this copy was made is indicated in the old Egyptian method by the year of a certain pharaoh named ꜥA-user-Rêꜥ,[2] who has been identified as one of the Hyksos dynasty, living approximately 1650 B.C. The scribe further says that it is in likeness to older writings, of the time of king Ne-maꜥet-Rêꜥ (Amenem-hêt III) who reigned from 1849 to 1801 B.C.[3] The papyrus is written in hieratic[4] and originally it was a single roll nearly 18 feet long and about 13 inches high, but it came to the British Museum broken apart, and with a number of fragments missing, the most important of which have been found in the possession of the New York Historical Society. A lithographic facsimile of the papyrus was published by the British Museum in 1898, but the photographs which I have reproduced in the second volume of this work represent it as it appears to-day. The fragments found in New York were brought over
- ↑ In referring to a publication listed in the Bibliography, I shall generally give with the name name the year of publication, and if there is more than one publication listed under the same in a given year, a second number will indicate the one referred to. But all references to Peet will be to his edition of the Rhind Papyrus and all references to Gunn to his review of Peet, both listed under Peet, 1923, 2, and only the number of the page or plate will be given. Nearly all references to Griffith will be to the series of articles listed under 1891 and 1892, and in these references only the numbers of the volume and page will be given.
- ↑ For the pronunciation of Egyptian words see the note at the beginning of the Literal Translation. Only consonants were written during most of Egyptian history, but the vowels supplied by us are sometimes inferred from those of a late period. Each vowel indicates a syllable. Hyphens are used in compound words. The sign ꜥ represents a consonant which we need not pronounce. Thus the god's name “Rêꜥ ” at the end of a royal name may be pronounced like the English word “ray.”
- ↑ For chronology see J. H. Breasted, A History of Egypt, second edition, New York, 1911, page 597.
- ↑ Egyptian writings that have come down to us are in four forms: (1) hieroglyphic, used in formal writings such as temple and tomb inscriptions; (2) hieratic, a more cursive form, both of these forms appearing at the beginning of Egyptian history; (3) demotic, which appeared about 800 B.C., and replaced the hieratic for everyday use; and (4) Coptic, in which the Egyptian language was written with the Greek alphabet. This last form arose in the third century A.D. and survives to-day in the liturgy of the Coptic church.
