A recycled piece of papyrus
covered with writing, used to wrap a mummy discovered in Egypt almost 100
years ago at Abusir, may have Cleopatra's handwriting.
According to Dutch
researcher Peter van Minnen of the University of Groningen, the papyrus
was a royal ordinance, dated 33 B.C., a time when Cleopatra still reigned.
It allowed a friend of Mark Anthony to export wheat and wine from Egypt,
completely tax-free. He was also allowed to own Egyptian land without
being taxed as well.
The order is written in one
handwriting style, most likely a scribe's. At the end of the decree,
however, another person wrote: ginesthoi"--a Greek word meaning
"make it so!" Minnen believes that this word was written by the
person making the royal order, none other than Cleopatra herself.
