Papyrus Anastasi VI
A border official lets Shasu of Edom through the fort to the pools of Pithom
Found 1839 — Acquired by the British Museum from the collection of Giovanni Anastasi
Where Unknown (probably Memphis region) (United Kingdom)
Dates from c. 1210 BCE · Late Bronze Age IIB (19th Dynasty, reign of Merneptah) · Just after the Exodus (late-date view); Edom already a people
Now at British Museum, London (EA 10245)
How Papyrus Anastasi VI was found
Part of a group of scribal training papyri bought from the Swedish-Norwegian consul; findspot unknown, probably Memphis/Saqqara.
What it is
A hieratic papyrus of model letters. One letter reports: 'We have finished letting the Shasu tribes of Edom pass the fortress of Merneptah in Tjeku, to the pools of Per-Atum of Merneptah in Tjeku, to keep them alive and their herds alive.'
Why it matters for the Bible
In a few lines this text names Edom, the Shasu nomads, the district of Tjeku (biblical Sukkot), and Per-Atum (Pithom) all together, on Egypt's eastern frontier, in the century of the Exodus. It shows herding peoples moving in and out of the Delta through guarded forts for pasture and water, the very picture of Yaakov's family coming to Goshen and of Israel leaving by way of Sukkot.
The Hebrew word: eh-DOHM
אֱדוֹם
אֱדוֹם is pronounced eh-DOHM and means Edom; the nation descended from Esav (Esau) (Strong's H123).
Places
- Edom — אֱדוֹם (eh-DOHM) — red
- Succoth — סֻכּוֹת (sook-KOHT) — booths
- Pithom — פִּתֹם (pee-TOHM) — house of Atum
Events
Semitic herders entering Goshen · Israel's departure via Sukkot
Papyrus Anastasi VI in Scripture
Genesis 25:30 First mention of Edom in Scripture.
Genesis 47:4 Yaakov's sons ask to pasture flocks in Goshen because of famine; the papyrus shows Egypt admitting herders for exactly this reason.
Exodus 12:37 Israel leaves through Sukkot; the papyrus places Tjeku/Sukkot and Pithom at the guarded eastern edge of the Delta.
Questions people ask
What is Papyrus Anastasi VI?
A hieratic papyrus of model letters. One letter reports: 'We have finished letting the Shasu tribes of Edom pass the fortress of Merneptah in Tjeku, to the pools of Per-Atum of Merneptah in Tjeku, to keep them alive and their herds alive.'
When was Papyrus Anastasi VI discovered?
It was found in 1839 by Acquired by the British Museum from the collection of Giovanni Anastasi, at Unknown (probably Memphis region).
Where is Papyrus Anastasi VI today?
British Museum, London (EA 10245).
Which Bible verses does Papyrus Anastasi VI relate to?
Genesis 25:30, Genesis 47:4, Exodus 12:37.
Related discoveries
- עֶבֶדSeal of Ushna, Servant of AhazA carnelian seal of a royal official of King Ahaz
- נִינְוֵהFall of Nineveh Chronicle (BM 21901)Babylonian record of the destruction of Assyria's capital in 612 BCE, as Nahum foretold
- הַסֹּפֵרBaruch son of Neriah Bulla (unprovenanced)'Belonging to Berekhyahu son of Neriyahu the scribe' — Jeremiah's secretary, if genuine
- סִבְלֹתPapyrus Leiden I 348 (Apiru hauling stone)'Apiru who drag stone for the great pylon of Ramesses'
- חוֹתָם'Jezebel' SealAn opulent Phoenician-style seal that may — or may not — have belonged to Ahab's queen
- גָּלוּתBabylonian Chronicle BM 21946 (the 'Jerusalem Chronicle')Nebuchadnezzar's own dated record: Carchemish 605 and the capture of Jerusalem, 2 Adar 597 BCE
Sources
- British Museum collection: EA 10245
- Gardiner, Late-Egyptian Miscellanies (1937); Caminos, Late-Egyptian Miscellanies (1954)