Papyrus - what is it and how important was it in human history?

Papyrus is, above all, reed plant, sedge family. Due to its unsurpassed properties and special organic composition, papyrus has become an indispensable means of writing and material that has been widely used in antiquity.

Papyrus - what is it and what is its value?

The main components of papyrus are:

• Cellulose - 57%;
• Lignin - 27%;
• Minerals - 9%;
• Water - 7%.

Apparently, cellulose in papyrus is present in the largest percentage, which confirms the practical foresight of the invention - paper. It is the Egyptians who need to be thankful for finding such a useful material for writing and historical facts that have become known to us through many centuries. Up to the tenth century the production of papyrus flourished, and processing technology was improved. Papyrus - what is it? From reed plants were made: household utensils, clothes, sails, boats and even objects of artistic decoration. Therefore, papyrus in antiquity was a widely used material. Today you can observe and even try your hand at making papyrus paper in many places in Egypt. The suburb of Cairo is literally piled up with a variety of workshops and shops that allow you to make paper from reeds by your own hand.

Papyrus - what is it and how it was made?

The process of making cane paper can be divided into several basic stages:

• The cane is separated from the outer shell, and the papyrus core is cut into thin strips. It is the middle part of the stem that becomes the immediate part of the papyrus paper.
• Then thin strips of papyrus are soaked and smoothed.
• After that, the treated strips are lapped with a braid on a flat surface.
• The next step is to handle the joints with a special adhesive. In ancient times, glue could serve as a variety of mollusks, silty water or a glutinous solution of wheat flour.
• Press is the penultimate stage of technology. The stones heated by the sun could serve them.
• The final point of the paper was the drying and polishing of the papyrus leaf.

Ancient Egyptian papyri, which have survived to our days, often have a roll format, that is, a form of a scroll. The sheets produced were glued together, which allowed ancient scribes to record quite extensive works.

Papyrus - what is it: an eternal material or application of special processing technologies?

It is worth noting that paper made from papyrus can retain its structure for a long period of time. Moisture and biological effects are the main natural factors in the destruction of papyrus, so the Egyptians kept them in specially designated places. Most often such places became internal rooms of the pyramids. A special technology for building pyramids was a guarantee of safe storage of papyrus scrolls.

Needless to say, the papyri of ancient Egypt were subjected to special treatment, and also preserved in clay jugs and other objects of man-made nature. Often used a variety of cases, scrolls wound on sticks, creating suwos. To the suwoi was attached the titul (special designation of the contents of the scroll). Specially created storage conditions and dry microclimate became favorable factors that helped the ancient scrolls to overcome thousands of years and appear before the whole of mankind as a historical fact of the power and wisdom of ancient civilization.