Papyrus
By: Basel Anjoukeh
Papyrus was the first known paper in history. It is an ancient Egyptian invention, and considered the most important writing material in the ancient world. Our word “Paper” derives directly from the ancient Egyptian word “papyrus”.
As a writing material, papyrus was used since the late fourth millennium BCE. It was produced in sheets by laying lengths of wet papyrus pith side by side, adding a second layer at a right angle on top, and fusing the pith by applying pressure. The product was then smoothed by rubbing it with a stone, shell or the like. The sheets were stuck together with starch-based glues to form scrolls which could extend up to 10 meters in length. Both sides of the papyrus were generally written on. Papyrus sheets were amazingly durable, elastic & 100% natural material. Good writing papyrus was not cheap and rarely served every-day purposes. Reeds of papyrus were also sharpened into pens.
A large part of life in Lower Egypt was based on the papyrus plant: It was used to make mats, sandals, rafts, and writing material; it fuelled fires, was eaten and its flowers collected and offered to the gods. No wonder it was used as a symbol for Lower Egypt and its king wore a crown seemingly fashioned from it.
The papyri discovered in Egypt have often been found in tombs. The ritual of the dead was most frequently the subject. Besides the ritual and religious rolls, there were literature, historical and administrative documents.
Egyptian rulers realizing the importance of Papyrus, made its production a state monopoly, and guarded the secret of Papyrus jealously. There was no real competitor to Papyrus until, in AD 105 in China Ts’ai Lun, a court official, invented paper. The difference between paper and papyrus is that paper is made from the completely separated fibers of any number of materials soaked and then sieved to produce thin sheets of matted fibers. With the introduction of paper making into Egypt, the production of Papyrus rapidly declined, and stopped. It was not until the 1940s when Egyptologists rediscovered the secrets or papyri manufacture.
Nowadays, papyrus is made the exact way it was made thousands of years ago with no chemicals or extra additives used.
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