![]() Scribes preferred to use the side with the horizontal strips, so they could move their pens with the grain. But the sheets were often glued end to end with flour paste to form a scroll, or roll, generally about 20 sheets long. Scribes could write on individual papyrus sheets. Afterwards, the sheets were dried in the sun, forming a strong, flexible, creamy white writing surface. Craftsman then hammered and pressed the moistened strips until the pith fibers intertwined, binding the two layers. Then a second row was laid on top, with its strips running crossways to the first layer. The parallel strips were just touching or slightly overlapping. To make a sheet, strips were laid side by side on a hard surface, such as a board. These strips could be dried and stored for use later, or they could be immediately worked into papyrus sheets. The pith, still moist, was then sliced lengthwise into thin strips, normally about one to three centimeters (a quarter of an inch to one and quarter inches) wide. Next they cut away the outside layer of the stem, exposing the soft cylinder of white pith inside. Craftsman then cut the stems into short sections of about a third of a meter (one foot) long, or a little longer. This meant Egypt had pretty much a monopoly on the industry.Īs ancient wall paintings show, men harvested papyrus reeds by pulling them from the river bottom and hauling them in bunches on their back. Second, stems of the Egyptian plants were biggest: five meters (10 to 15 feet) high and up to five centimeters (two inches) thick. First, the supply seemed endless – especially in the Nile Delta. These reeds grew throughout the Mediterranean, but the papyrus reeds in Egypt were best suited to making paper for two reasons. In fact, many of the oldest copies of Bible books, including some of the Dead Sea Scrolls that are more than 2,000 years old, survive on paper made from papyrus reeds.īy about 3000 BC, Egyptians discovered they could make paper from the columns of soft, mushy pith inside papyrus reed stems. ![]() That assured it a major role in the story of the Bible. Papyrus was the world’s first lightweight, inexpensive and durable writing material. You will not find them growing wild along the Nile today because civilization destroyed their natural habitat, ironic, since papyrus nourished human civilization by providing a great way for people to communicate and preserve their history. In Bible times, tall, slender papyrus reeds grew in defense clusters along the River Nile. Technorati Tags: Bible, papyrus, writing, history
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