Methods of Deleting and Correcting Mistakes in Ancient Egyptian Religious Manuscripts

Ancient Egyptian scribes made some mistakes while writing texts. Sometimes, the mistakes were not corrected, but in other cases, the texts were reviewed, and the mistakes were corrected. By collecting most of the models in which methodsof deleting and correcting mistakes were included, a complete idea can be formed. Therefore, this study examines the methods used by the scribes or reviewers to delete and correct the mistakes, focusing on the Book of the Dead, whether in hieratic or cursive hieroglyphic script. The study showed that some corrections were incomplete when the scribes deleted the wrong part without replacing it. We also notice the similarity of mistakes and correcting methods in certain texts, such as the Book of the Dead, whether written on papyrus or mummy bandages. The correcting mistakes methods were defined based on the time of discovering the mistakes, either during writing or revision. The scribes erased mistakes and made corrections while writing, sometimes by changing the shape of incorrect signs to correct signs. In the Ptolemaic period, new methods were adopted to delete incorrect words without distorting the text, such as writing the correct word after the incorrect word without deleting the incorrect one, placing a circular line, dots in red ink or brackets around the incorrect word.