Berlin Savant Goes to Cairo to Edit Museum's Papyri

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 154, 17 July 1937, Page 18

Berlin Savant Goes to Cairo to Edit Museum's Papyri

BERLIN. — Dr. Hugo Ibscher, noted curator of the papyrus eollections of the Berlin Museum, recently left for Cairo to examine and arrange the 1 papyri contained in the museum there. The savant 's visit, whieh is being made at the invitation of the Egyptiari Government, may well mark the diseovery of new sources of informatiou on the early history of the Near East, and of important material relating to the first centuries of the Christian era. For though the Cairo Museum contains many valuable papyri, they have hitherto been but little investigated. Dr. Ibscher, who has been granted a three-month leave by the Berlin authorities for this work, is recognized as outstanaing in this field of the practical handling of papyri. During his 4.5 years' experience — he was a bookbinder's assistant before he became museum curator — he has worked on some of the world ;s Tarest treasures. Through him some of the finest papyri of ancient Egypt have been saved from complete illegibility and presented to Egyptologsts in such a. form that they have later served as. the basis of valuable publications. His handwork is .also to be seen in tho Yatican Library and in the British Museum. : • Despito the fact that Dr Ibscher has laboured for so many years on papyri, this is the first time that he has set foot on Egyptian soil, and has been abm himself to take part, in addition to his own work, ip. the excavation whieh brings tlics© valuable trCasures to thc knowledge of modern research.