Civilization / Foundations of Civilization

Papyrus & Parchment (Writing Surfaces)

Rolls of papyrus from Egypt (about 3000 BC) and later parchment from animal skins gave writing a light, portable surface, so texts could fill libraries and travel across the Mediterranean.

Papyrus sheets were made from a Nile sedge, pressed and joined into rolls; the plant was used for writing from at least the First Dynasty, and the oldest known written papyri, the logbook of the official Merer, are about 4,500 years old. Parchment, scraped animal skin, gradually replaced papyrus in West Asia and Europe: by the early 4th century AD the most important books were on parchment, which lasted better in damp climates and could be written on both sides. Light scrolls and later books made libraries such as Alexandria possible, the carbonised scrolls of Herculaneum are papyrus, and paper eventually replaced both materials.