Turin Papyrus
The Turin Papyrus is considered to be one of the oldest surviving topographical maps of the ancient world. It was first discovered sometime prior to 1824 by Bernardino Dorvetti from Deir el-Medina in Thebes. The map itself dates back to 1160 BCE and was drawn by the Scribe-of-the-Tomb Amennakhte, son of Ipuy. The map was created for Ramesses IV for an expedition to the Wadi Hammamat in the Eastern Desert.
The purpose of the expedition was to quarry bekhen-stone, which was a greyish-green stone that was highly sought after by the ancient Egyptians. Why the stone was so prized is unknown, but it is clear that the map was drawn in order to document the expedition to find the stone. It is believed that this map was meant to be given either to the Pharaoh or the high priest in order to provide a visual record.
When the three map fragments were first discovered it was believed that they were part of separate maps, however, it was later found that all three pieces were from the same map. The current arrangement of the pieces has a length of 9 feet and a width of 1.3 feet. The map has no consistent scale, but it is clear that the map shows a 9 mile stretch of Wadi Hammamat.
The map’s orientation is south to north, with the Nile’s west bank on the right side and the east bank on the left side. The map clearly shows the surrounding hills, the location of the prized bekhen-stone quarry, and the Bir Umm Fwakhir settlement. The use of colors and distinctive features make the Turin Papyrus one of the earliest known Geographic Information Systems.