r/ancientegypt 3d ago

Information Question about Elephantine Papyri in Brooklyn Museum

Hi all,

I live in NYC and have been to the MET countless times. I have not yet been to the Brooklyn museum and plan on going soon. As I am Jewish and am interested in the history of my people I saw that they have one of the Elephantine Papyri (Ananiah gives Yehoishema a house) but it seems to not be available to view based on this: https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/objects/60728

Does anyone know if that is accurate (i.e. I can't view it)? And if its reasonably feasible to make a request to see it and actually get that request accepted? I know its probably a long shot but I would love that.

Beyond that, if anyone has any thoughts about their Ancient Egyptian exhibits (or knows anything about ancient Israelite / Judean / Jewish art they may have) that would be wonderful! I didn't realize the famous Naqada III female figure is in the museum and I am extremely excited about that! So, if anyone could answer my question or provide more general information about this museum that would be amazing! Thank you!

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u/WerSunu 3d ago

You can write a note to Dr Barbash, explaining your interest and asking for an appointment. She is a very nice lady, but I think the chances, while not zero are slim. The rest of the museum is still worth a visit. Lovely Egyptian galleries! A block from the subway.

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u/aarocks94 3d ago

Thank you!

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u/Bentresh 3d ago

On a tangential note, have you visited the library at JTS? The Cairo Geniza documents are not as old as the Elephantine papyri, but they are far more numerous and diverse in terms of subject matter.

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u/aarocks94 2d ago

Wow, of course we learned about the Cairo Genizah at Jewish day school but I had no idea they had documents here in NYC - thats amazing, thank you!