Ancient know-how: Papyri researcher wants to take learnings back to her students in Egypt

Despite appreciating the opportunities she has had in Australia, papyri researcher and restorer, Arzak Mohamed, says she will eventually return to Egypt to share her knowledge with university students there.

Arzak Mohamed with a papyrus she has been studying.

Key points:

• Arzak Mohamed received funding from the Egyptian government to study dating and documentation of ancient papyri.
• The aim of the research is to identify, date and validate texts, and understand the role of environmental and technological change in making these papyri.
• Ancient Egyptians, according to Ms Mohamed, were also pioneers in recycling.

When Arzak Mohamed received funding from the Egyptian government for a one-year study of the dating and documentation of ancient papyri at the University of Melbourne, she said she did not know that she would end up staying much longer in Australia.

Papyrus refers to a writing material of ancient times and also the plant from which it was derived. The plant was long grown in the Nile delta in Egypt and was cultivated for its stalk or stem.

Ancient Egyptians used the papyrus plant to make sails, cloth, mats, cords, and paper, which was the main writing material in ancient Egypt.

“I published a paper on the preservation of papyri manuscripts at the Egyptian National Library and Archives, but the research and analysis was done at the University of Melbourne,” says Ms Mohamed, who holds a master's degree in the preservation of archaeological materials from Cairo University.

“My scholarship was extended for another year, during which time I successfully applied for a PhD scholarship at Macquarie University in Sydney,” she said.

For her research, Ms Mohamed accesses the collections at Macquarie University's Museum of History and the ChauChak Wing Museum at the University of Sydney.

“The process of dating and validating ancient manuscripts gives us important insights into the past and prevents the falsification of history,” she explained.

Ms Mohamed, who has been conducting research in Australia for five years, said the aim of her study was to identify, date and validate texts, and understand the role of environmental and technological change in making these papyri.

Made in secret

Ms Mohamed said there was a lack of literature that described the papyrus-making process.

"What is known comes largely from modern analyses of ancient papyri and modern manufacture experiments," she added.

The reason for secrecy, according to Ms Mohamed, was largely economic.

"Ancient Egyptians sought to monopolise the production and trade of this important writing material," she said.

The information collected through her work adds to modern attempts to understand how papyrus sheets were made. It also helps with preventing the deterioration of the condition of these ancient manuscripts.

Arzak Mohamed in the laboratory.

'Big divide' in resources

Ms Mohamed said there was a big divide between Australia and Egypt when it came to resources available to conduct such research.

“There is a great disparity in resources and technology between here and Egypt. Some devices cost millions (of dollars) to buy and the capabilities in Egypt do not allow it,” Ms Mohamed said.

She added that manuscript transfers and communication between museums and laboratories was also more streamlined in Australia.

“Government bureaucracy makes these matters more difficult in Egypt,” she said.

The papyri restorer said the most interesting manuscript she had worked on was an ancient Egyptian manuscript from the ChauChak Wing Museum.

“They found it difficult to find someone who could work on that manuscript because it was in (such) poor condition, so they talked to me and asked me to work on it,” she said.

“I was able to restore and date it successfully and the results fascinated me.”

Restoring ancient papyri texts is a painstaking process.

She said she was impressed by the colours of the inks used in the manuscript, but one discovery in particular was very astonishing.

“At first I thought it was gold (ink), but, after (further) analysis, I realised it was another material," Ms Mohamed said.

“Ancient Egyptians showed flexibility (in) replacing gold with a cheaper material in times of economic distress."

The manuscript that Ms Mohamed restored belongs to what became known as the “Book of the Dead”.

According to the Curator of the British Museum, John Taylor, “The Book of the Dead” is a modern term that refers to “a set of magical spells used by Egyptians to help them get through the afterlife.”

Mr Taylor said ancient Egyptians envisioned the road to heaven as a “perilous journey” that required “magical help”.

'Pioneers in recycling'

The ancient Egyptians, according to Ms Mohamed, were also pioneers in recycling.

“Unwanted, ancient papyri scrolls were used in the embalming process to wrap mummies,” she said.

Ms Mohamed is not only a researcher, she is also a married mother of three daughters.

Despite her great love for all of her roles, she said that "changing hats" was sometimes difficult.

“Some days, I don't leave the lab before 8pm," she said.

“My husband tells me I'm like a guest at home.”

An ancient papyrus.

But the PhD student said her husband's support was what made it possible to reconcile her different roles.

Despite appreciating the opportunities she has had in Australia, she said she would eventually return to Egypt.

“Some people think I'm irrational, but I want to return to my students in Egypt to benefit (them) from what I've learned here,” she said.

“I have a deep appreciation for Australia, but I want to give back to Egypt.”

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