The Tulli Papyrus
A 'translated' Egyptian papyrus describing circles of fire in the sky has been passed around for decades. No one has ever seen the papyrus.
What was reported
In 1953 the magazine Doubt published what it said was a translation of an ancient Egyptian papyrus from the reign of Thutmose III, found among the papers of Alberto Tulli, a former director of the Egyptian section of the Vatican Museums. It described 'circles of fire' in the sky, brighter than the Sun, watched by the pharaoh and his army.
It became a favourite of books about ancient UFOs.
Explanations offered
The original papyrus has never been found, and the Vatican Museums say they don't have it. Egyptologists who studied the published hieroglyphic text say it's a clumsy forgery, mixing phrases from different periods. Most regard it as a hoax from the 20th century.
- When
- Published in 1953
- Where
- Rome, Italy
- Witnesses
- No one has produced the original
- Status
- Hoax
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