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Industry : Papyrus
Papyrus
The word papyrus has several meanings. It can refer to the plant Cyperus papyrus L., which belongs to the sedge family, or to a writing material or to a particular “book” or manuscript, such as the Edwin Smith Papyrus, that exists in a museum or library collection. In antiquity the papyrus plant grew extensively in Egypt, particularly in the Delta, although today it is only found much farther south in the Sudan. It was a symbol of renewal and rebirth, representing the primordial landscape at the time of creation, and architects used it as a form for temple columns; it also became the emblem of Lower Egypt (the flowering rush was used for Upper Egypt). Wild thickets of papyrus were often depicted in the tombs as places where the nobility could hunt and fish. However, the Egyptians soon began to grow papyrus in cultivated fields and use it for the production of a variety of items including mats, boxes, ropes, ring stands, sails, baskets, furniture, sandals, and loincloths for the peasants, but most importantly for the production of a fine quality writing material. Scenes in tombs show men working in the fields, cutting down the papyrus stems just above the water line. They then carried these heavy bundles back to the workshops where the plants were prepared for their eventual use. .
PAPER MAKING
The word paper is derived from the Greek papyros, which is believed
to come from the Egyptian word meaning “the royal,” because the
manufacture of paper was a royal monopoly. The huge quantities of
papyri (inscribed documents, letters, and records) that have
survived indicate the high standard of paper making. Nevertheless,
this was not the only writing material, and as it was always an
expensive option, the Egyptians frequently reused papyri or wrote on
cheaper materials such as potsherds or limestone fragments. No
scenes of making papyrus exist on the tomb walls, although
associated activities such as gathering the plant, transporting it
to the workshops, stripping and cleaning the stems, and making ropes
and boats are all illustrated. Again, it is uncertain when the
manufacture of papyrus as a writing material was first introduced,
but there is some evidence that it already existed in Dynasty 1, and
papyrus documents are known from the Old Kingdom. Paper production
continued throughout the Pharaonic Period and was a major industry
in the Greco-Roman era. Although the process of manufacture is not
represented anywhere, various modern studies and experiments have
enabled papyrologists to reconstruct the probable stages of the
procedure. The stem of the plant is triangular in section and
consists of a tough outer rind and an inner cellular pith the part
that was turned into the writing material. First, the stem was cut
into pieces the length of which determined the height of each
“page.” This was never more than 47 centimeters in order that the
pieces could be easily handled. Next, the outer rind was stripped
off and the inner pith was separated into thick slices. These were
then laid on a table, side by side in two layers, one on top of
another at right angles to each other. Next, they were beaten
together for several hours, using a stone or wooden mallet, and were
then probably pressed overnight. This welded them together so that
they formed a homogeneous sheet of paper. After this, burnishing the
papyrus could improve the surface for writing. The individual sheets
were stuck together with an adhesive; experiments have shown that
although a join could be made by using only the natural juice of the
pith, the results were not satisfactory as the pieces tended to
separate again. A standard roll consisted of twenty pages, but it
was possible to stick several rolls together, and the longest known
example measures 132 feet. The piece was then cut vertically or
horizontally to give the required shape and size. Finally, the strip
was rolled up horizontally; the recto, which was written on first,
was on the inside; the verso was on the back of the roll. Paper
making was one of the most important techniques developed by the
Egyptians and gave them and the later Classical writers a convenient
and easily portable writing material that has enabled their
literature to be transmitted to the modern world.
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Industry : Papyrus
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