How do they make papyrus

The crisscross structure is formed by creating a sheet with two layers for the majority of papyri of pith slices arranged perpendicularly. While the arrangement is clear, the exact method of papyrus-making is, unfortunately, undocumented by the ancient Egyptians, and therefore some of the details of the procedure have been pondered over by modern scholars.

The earliest description of papyrus-making comes from the Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder. His account, dating to circa 77—79 A.

After the plants were gathered and while the stalks were still green, a 20—48 centimeter section of the stalk was cut the maximum length being the maximum height of a papyrus scroll and the outer rind of the plant was stripped off Thin strips were produced either by slicing the pith lengthwise, or by using a needle to peel the pith, like unrolling a coil, from the outside to the center. Modern experiments have shown that both methods are possible and that great skill is required to create thin and uniform strips.

Individual sheets were formed by laying the strips side by side, first in one vertical layer, and then in a second horizontal layer. It is generally accepted that no adhesive was used; however, using more damp or pre-soaked strips of papyrus leads to better adhesion between the layers, perhaps by facilitating physical bonding as the moisture causes the parenchyma cells to swell and then lock into each other upon drying.

Some modern researchers have found that pressing until dry is critical for sheet formation, but Pliny claims that sheets were pressed together and then dried in the sun; the exact method of pressing and drying by the Egyptians is unknown.

Sheets of papyrus were then made into rolls; a common size is twenty sheets to a roll. This was done by overlapping sheet edges by 1—2 centimeters and adhering with a flexible starch-based paste. Blank rolls were produced, but occasionally already inscribed papyri sheets were added to previous rolls, or adhered together to make a new roll, among other alterations. Papyri were always rolled with the vertical-running pith on the outside because of the natural tendency of the sheet to curve in that direction; inscriptions and illustrations on a papyrus roll are generally on the horizontal side of the sheet, where they would be protected when rolled up Any one of these sub-species could have affected the quality and finish of a papyrus sheet.

Nor do we know the tools and equipment which might have been used by the workshops producing the papyrus sheets. Thanks in large part to scientific analysis, conservation examinations and modern attempts at papyrus making by researchers, curators and conservators we have unlocked some of the basic secrets ancient Egyptian papyrus making.

The Egyptians cut the triangular green stalk close to the waterline and eliminated the flowering head. When the outer green rind is removed a soft white triangular pith is exposed above. The pith was cut into strips either along the triangular faces of the stalk or straight through the triangle.

At times the pith was unwrapped down to its core below. Scanning electron microscopy extremely high magnification can distinguish between the strip or peel method and indicates that both were used in antiquity.

The strips or peeled papyrus were soaked in water to swell the fibers and cells. While wet the white pith yellows and darkens. See our main website for complete information about library spaces, collections, and services.

The papyrus plant is a reed that grows in marshy areas around the Nile river. In ancient Egypt, the wild plant was used for a variety of uses, and specially cultivated papyrus, grown on plantations, was used to make the writing material.

The inside of the triangular stalk was cut or peeled into long strips. Papyrus eventually gave way to parchment, and later, paper.

The large plantations in Egypt which used to cultivate high-grade papyrus for manufacture disappeared, and wild papyrus also began to disappear as the climate of Egypt slowly changed. Fortunately for modern scholars, the dry climate of Egypt has preserved thousands of fragments of ancient papyrus.

These fragments form the basis of the field of papyrology, the study of ancient papyrus. Papyrus texts offer scholars new literary sources as well as documents, such as letters and government records, which give much insight into life in ancient Egypt.

However, the art of papyrus making remained dead for a thousand years. During the 20th century, when more and more papyrus texts came to light, scholars began to investigate how ancient papyrus manufacturing occurred.