Papyrus Paper

Currated by: Claire

Introduction

Egypt has been around since 3100 B.C.E. The Egyptians have invented many things such as the calendar, pyramids, and mummification. One of the most important inventions by the Egyptians was papyrus paper. It is a writing material mostly used in ancient times but used some today. Papyrus paper was one of the earliest forms of paper and it was used to write down important things and communicate with others. It was invented around 2,900 B.C.E., and continued to be used until the 11th century A.D.

The affect of Papyrus Paper

The development of papyrus had a significant impact on Mediterranean and Abrabian countries. According to F.L. Griffith, papyrus aided in the medical field, allowing doctors to record what they prescribed each patient, and to record which treatments were successful or failed. As a result medicine became more reliable. Papyrus also allowed for easier communication between people and better record keeping, which allowed farmers to improve their crops. The improvement in communication allowed for culture to be spread easier, like religion and current events.

Medical Papyrus (Image 1 above)

Examples of Reed Pens (Image 3)

Ancient Ink

The ink used to write on papyrus was made out of natural resources like soot and water. The ink was typically red or black. Pieces of reed were sharpened at the tip to make reed pens. Then reed pens were dipped into the ink and used to draw different symbols, most of those symbols were written in hieroglyphics.

How Papyrus Paper Was Made

As stated by Donald P. Ryan in “Papyrus”, papyrus plants were harvested from along the banks of the Nile and the florets of the plants were cut off. Then the exterior of the stalks were removed. After the stalk was removed, the core was stripped and cut into strips, and then soaked in water. Next the strips are arranged so that the edges were crossing over each other, and then a second layer would be laid over the first layer, but rotated ninety degrees. The excess water was absorbed out of the papyrus using cloth and it was pressed. Lastly the papyrus sheets were laid out to dry and then trimmed to the size of the user’s need.

The process of making papyrus paper (Image 4)

Conclusion

The invention of papyrus paper changed the world. It made record keeping and communication more convenient and time effective. Papyrus also allowed for medical advances and safer practices. Culture and news were spread with less effort than ever before and instructions could be preserved easier.