Prisse Papyrus
| Papyrus Prisse | |
|---|---|
| Bibliothèque nationale de France | |
Papyrus Prisse- Part I, two columns of the Instructions of Kagemni | |
| Type | charter |
| Date | c. 2000 BC |
| Language | Egyptian |
| Material | papyrus paint |
| Size | Length: 7.05 meters Width: c. 14.75 cm |
| Format | double columns |
| Condition | conserved |
| Script | hieratic |
| Contents | Instructions of Kagemni and Maxims of Ptahhotep |
| Discovered | Cairo, 1843 |
The Prisse Papyrus is an ancient Egyptian text written on papyrus in abbreviated hieratic script, sometimes referred to as the "oldest book in the world", named after the French Egyptologist Émile d'Avennes, who purchased the papyrus scroll in Cairo in 1843 claiming it was stolen from excavations he was conducting near Thebes. Prisse later donated 1947 the papyrus to the Bibliothèque nationale de France and published its facsimile at the same time.