From the Egyptian scribes to the egyptologists as scribes: Twenty-five years of research at the Università degli Studi di Milano

In 2009, the Chair of Egyptology of the University of Milan foundedEDAL, Egyptian and Egyptological Documents, Archives and Libraries. The title itself of this annual resumes the main topics developed by the Milan research center since its creation 25 years ago. At the beginnings of the Nineties, historical and prosopographical studies on scribes and officials whose titles were connected with writing were developed, with the aim of a deeper comprehension of their role in the Egyptian administration and society. Researches on scribal tools followed, in museums all over the world, that will end up in a comprehensive synthesis on the subject. In the meanwhile, the University of Milan started a policy of acquisition of archives of important Egyptologists, the “modern scribes” who have written the history of the discipline over the last two centuries. The results achieved on these topics will be presented, together with the paths of investigation still open for the future generations.