The Ebers Papyrus

Attribution:

Einsamer Schütze

Key Dates

1534

Approximately 1534 BC (reign of Amenhotep I)

Key People

Bought in Luxor by Edwin Smith

The Ebers Medical Papyrus was bought in Luxor in 1862 by Edwin Smith. The provenance is unknown although the dealer states it was found between the legs of a mummy in the Assasif necropolis. It is the longest of all the medical papyri with over 110 pages (20m) and is dated to the reign of Amenhotep I (1534 BCE), although some think it may have been a copy of a papyrus dating to the first dynasty (3050-2890 BCE). The papyrus lists a number of diseases including skin conditions, stomach conditions, head trauma, eye diseases and even a reference to what may be Pneumonic plague. The Ebers papyrus also has a section dealing with surgery; primarily concerned with ulcers, tumours and swellings; all are cured with “knife treatment”.

The papyrus seems to be a random collection of diagnosis, symptoms and treatments with no particular order. This could indicate it was a working document, used by a medical professional who referred to it whilst seeing patients, but also added to it when necessary.

Origin & Collection

Discovered at:

Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis

Additional information on display location:

University Library of Leipzig

Physical properties

Lenght:

200.00cm

Materials:

Papyrus

Images

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