Mar. 61 SOCIETYOF BIBLICAL ARCHEOLOGY. [1894.THE RHIND MATHEMATICALPAPYRUS.*By F. L. Griffith.Twoyearsand a half have elapsedsincemy last notes on the
RhindPapyrus werepublished: on proceeding with it it became
evidentthat the metrology of Ancient Egyptoughtto be thoroughly
workedoveras a preliminary study,in order to give a better mastery
of the subjects dealtwithin this important document. My notes
weresoonafterwardsreadyto be issued, but other matters have
interferedwith their publication untilthe present time,and in some
waystheyhaveprofited by the delay. I do not pretend to have
solved all the problems that were outstanding after Professor
Eisenlohr'sedition,but I have donewhatI can to supply certain
new information aboutthe papyrus itself,and to make suchobserva
tionsas are calculated to render the study of the document easierto
those who have not hitherto paid special attention to ancient
EgyptianArithmeticand Metrology. Numberlesserrorsare patent
in the original, and one cannot helpsuspecting that where the
difficultiesare most baffling, the fault lies as much with the old
scribeas with the interpreter.
The free use of the quadruple heqat amongst the com
measures,provesthat muchof the text is later than the reign of
AmenemhatIII, J and in fact shows contemporary,not ancient, usage.
The quadruple heqat is never found in the Kahun collection
(XH-XIIIthdynasty),thoughthe double heqatis already common
in it.
In describing the papyrus I pointed out that the division into
two sheets cannotbe the result of accident or of ignorant partition
betweentwo finders, and that Nos. 61 and 61 a on Pl. XIX ought
not to be separated fromthe tables on Pl. I-VIII, withwhich the
- Continued fromProceedings,Vol. XIV, p. 31. P. 31, I. II omit, the
words"ofLowerEgypt;" p. 30 for i read 7 twice; andp. 28, 1. 6, omit
—f aftersfar.
t The statementsin Vol. XIV,p. 31, must be modifiedaccordingly.
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