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Metropolitan Museum of Art — Egyptian Art (Open Access) · other

Writing board of an apprentice scribe

Source of record: Metropolitan Museum of Art — Egyptian Art (Open Access) — catalogued by the holding institution. View the original record →

Description

First Intermediate Period, Dynasty 11 or earlier, ca. 2030 B.C. Wood, whitewash, ink. H. 22 cm (8 11/16 in); w. 8.5 cm (3 3/8 in). From: Egypt. Credit: Gift of Edward S. Harkness, 1928.

The same text in other collections

Linked by shared inventory number (MET-Object 545112). Each record below describes this same artifact or text from a different angle.

AI image analysis GPT-5.4-nano

Machine-generated from the object's image on Jul 2026. Not curatorial; treat deities, names, and signs below as the model's best reading, not authority.

A small rectangular writing board with a painted surface covered in dense hieroglyphic practice and figurative/letter-like marks in black ink.

The image shows a vertical, rectangular wooden board or slab with rounded edges and a light-colored, whitewashed surface. Across the top and middle are multiple lines of black sign practice that include both standard hieroglyphic forms (e.g., seated/standing human figures and bird/animal-like signs) and iconographic/letter-like strokes. The marks appear to be arranged in horizontal rows, consistent with writing exercises by an apprentice scribe. No cartouches, royal titulary, or clearly identifiable deity iconography are visible with certainty. There is no Greek, Coptic, or Arabic text visible. The surface shows minor wear and staining near the corners and along the edges; some ink areas are faded.

hieroglyphic only First Intermediate Period (per catalogue; script and exercise marks consistent but not sufficient for independent dating). good
Materials woodwhitewashink
Signs unidentified hieroglyphic signs (mixed practice/formulaic groupings) ×100
Visible text "Multiple horizontal rows of black hieroglyphic signs; individual signs are not fully legible at this resolution."

Inscriptions (1)

Inscription #1 AI reading of the photograph

Visible text (machine reading)

Multiple horizontal rows of black hieroglyphic signs; individual signs are not fully legible at this resolution.

Connections

Materials WoodInkWhitewash

Cross-references (5)

  • Wikidata-Q Q116245403 tier-1
  • Collection-QID Q160236 tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
  • Inventory-Number 28.9.5 tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
  • MET-Object 545112 tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
  • PNM-Object pnm:83910581 tier-2 (inventory-match)
About this record's data
  • From the source institution — accession, description, dimensions, and dating are as catalogued by Metropolitan Museum of Art — Egyptian Art (Open Access).
  • AI-inferred — the image-analysis panel (deities, names, signs) is machine-generated and may be wrong.
  • Approximate location — most map points are plotted at the site centroid, not the exact findspot.
  • Inferred links — cross-references marked with a match method other than explicit-source-field were matched by us, not stated by the source.