---
title: The Passover Papyrus from Elephantine
author: Egyptian Museum of Berlin
source: https://www.worldhistory.org/image/10468/the-passover-papyrus-from-elephantine/
format: machine-readable-alternate
license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/)
updated: 1970-01-01
---

# The Passover Papyrus from Elephantine

_Authored by Egyptian Museum of Berlin_

## Image File

[![The Passover Papyrus from Elephantine](https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/10468.png)](https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/10468.png)

## Image Caption

A papyrus letter, written in Aramaic, from the fortified island of Elephantine in [Egypt](https://www.worldhistory.org/egypt/). The letter was written c. 419 BCE by a Jewish man named Hananiah and is addressed to his brother Jedoniah and the rest of the Jews garrisoned at Elephantine. The letter states that King [Darius](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/darius/) II (r. 424 - 404 BCE) has instructed the Persian [satrap](https://www.worldhistory.org/Persian_Governor/) Armases (c. 5th Century BCE) to allow the Jewish garrison at Elephantine to observe a seven-day festival of unleavened bread. This is believed to be an early reference to observance of the Passover holiday. The so-called Passover Papyrus was found during the excavations of Otto Rubensohn and Friedrich Zucker in the early 20th Century. This papyrus is now part of the collection of the [Egyptian](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Egyptian/) Museum of Berlin in Germany.

## Bibliography

- [Bezalel Porten. *Archives from Elephantine.* University of California Press, 1968.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0520010280/)

## Cite This Work

### APA
Berlin, E. M. o. (2019, April 17). The Passover Papyrus from Elephantine. *World History Encyclopedia*. <https://www.worldhistory.org/image/10468/the-passover-papyrus-from-elephantine/>
### Chicago
Berlin, Egyptian Museum of. "The Passover Papyrus from Elephantine." *World History Encyclopedia*, April 17, 2019. <https://www.worldhistory.org/image/10468/the-passover-papyrus-from-elephantine/>.
### MLA
Berlin, Egyptian Museum of. "The Passover Papyrus from Elephantine." *World History Encyclopedia*, 17 Apr 2019, <https://www.worldhistory.org/image/10468/the-passover-papyrus-from-elephantine/>.

## License & Copyright

[Original image](http://www.smb-digital.de/eMuseumPlus?service=ExternalInterface&module=collection&objectId=980034&viewType=detailView) by **Egyptian Museum of Berlin**. Submitted by [Arienne King](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/ava.spartan.117/ "User Page: Arienne King"), published on 17 April 2019. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/deed.en). This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.