In the centuries preceding the invention of paper, many writing supports were used, among which the most widely used are papyrus and the parchment. Sometimes these two terms are interchanged, but they are two completely different materials: papyrus (used above all in ancient Egypt) is in fact plant origin and it tends to be more delicate, while parchment (used for example in Middle Ages Europe) is of animal origin and in general it offers greater resistance to wear.
What is papyrus and how is it made
With the word “papyrus” we can refer to both support used by Egyptians for writing, both to plant used for its production. The latter (whose botanical name is Cyperus papyrus) is typical of river and marshy environments and for this very reason it grew spontaneously along the banks of the Nile. Normally the stem is thick dai 5 to 8 centimeters at the basehas one triangular section and can reach up to 4 meters high: it is precisely from the green rind of the stem that the white marrow, essential for the production of papyrus sheet.
To date we do not know the exact production process of the sheets, but it is believed that first a section of the stem a few tens of centimeters wide was cut and, after removing the external peel, the medulla in stripes thin and uniform. These were then placed next to each other, forming a series of layers horizontal And vertical alternate with each other that, once annoyed And pressed, they joined together to form a support for writing.
Do you think that the oldest papyrus found to date dates back to 2900 B.C and we have evidence of the use of this material up to 11th century AD
What is parchment and how is it made
THE’invention of parchment it is subsequent to that of the papyrus sheet and occurred in the city of Pergamum (from which it takes its name) in present-day Türkiye. Consider that this material, ironically, was introduced in the 2nd century BC precisely to make up for one papyrus shortage: since alternative supports for writing were needed, it was decided to try with the skin of some animals.
From a technical point of view, to produce parchment it was necessary to immerse it in lime there skin – usually of goat, calf or sheep – and then place it on a chassiskeeping it under tension. It came then scraped to remove the hair, re-inserted into the lime and finally left to dry. The final result was a hard, smooth material, sensitive to variations in humidity and whitish in color.
For centuries this material has been used to create books, manuscripts And official documents, so much so that numerous copies are still preserved in many libraries and museums.
Among other things, when talking about parchments you may sometimes come across the term “vellum”: this refers to a particular type of parchment particularly fine and produced by calfskin.
