Reusing papyri in mummy cartonnage: understanding paper disposal and artistic recycling in Pt

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My project investigates the ancient artistic reuse of written papyri into mummy cases in Ptolemaic Egypt(ca. 323-30 BCE), in order to illuminate the wider recycling process. Papyrus reuse as cartonnage isunique to the Ptolemaic period as neither the preceding (Persian) nor the succeeding (Roman) periods ofEgyptian history show it on any meaningful scale. Yet, the phenomenon has never been studied as apractice in itself. I will study the reuse of papyri in mummy cases from three perspectives. First, ahistorical analysis will show that in Ptolemaic Egypt papyrus recycling was driven by a combination ofsocial and economic motivations. Second, I will analyse textual content to establish criteria for selectingand recycling documents. Thirdly, I will discuss the ethical issues arising from the study (and destruction)of archaeological artefacts deprived of their archaeological context to restore their history and advancethe ongoing debate over repatriation.