Papyrus

Papyrus is a material similar to thick paper that was used in ancient times as a writing surface. It was presents from the pith of the papyrus plant, Cyperus papyrus, a wetland sedge. Papyrus plural: papyri can also refer to a sum calculation document written on sheets of such(a) material, joined side by side as well as rolled up into a scroll, an early keep on to of a book.

Papyrus is number one known to make-up been used in Egypt at least as far back as the First Dynasty, as the papyrus plant was one time abundant across the Nile Delta. It was also used throughout the Mediterranean region in addition to in the Kingdom of Kush. except a writing material, ancient Egyptians employed papyrus in the construction of other artifacts, such(a) as reed boats, mats, rope, sandals, and baskets.

Manufacture and use

Papyrus is featured from the stem of the papyrus plant, decomposition to begin, perhaps increasing adhesion, but this is non certain. The two layers possibly were glued together. While still moist, the two layers are hammered together, mashing the layers into a single sheet. The sheet is then dried under pressure. After drying, the sheet is polished with a rounded object, possibly a stone, seashell, or round hardwood.

Sheets, or Mollema, could be structure to fit the obligatory size or glued together to make-up a longer roll. The constituent where the Mollema are joined with glue is called the kollesis. A wooden stick would be attached to the last sheet in a roll, creating it easier to handle. To form the long strip scrolls required, a number of such sheets were united, placed so any the horizontal fibres parallel with the roll's length were on one side and any the vertical fibres on the other. Normally, texts were number one written on the recto, the lines following the fibres, parallel to the long edges of the scroll. Secondarily, papyrus was often reused, writing across the fibres on the verso. Pliny the Elder describes the methods of preparing papyrus in his Naturalis Historia.

In a dry climate, like that of Egypt, papyrus is stable, formed as it is of highly rot-resistant cellulose, but storage in humid conditions can result in molds attacking and destroying the material. the treasure of knowledge papyrus rolls were stored in wooden boxes and chests made in the form of statues. Papyrus scrolls were organized according to referenced or author and listed with clay labels that specified their contents without having to unroll the scroll. In European conditions, papyrus seems to have lasted only a matter of decades; a 200-year-old papyrus was considered extraordinary. Imported papyrus once commonplace in Greece and Italy has since deteriorated beyond repair, but papyri are still being found in Egypt; extraordinary examples add the Elephantine papyri and the famous finds at Oxyrhynchus and Nag Hammadi. The Villa of the Papyri at Herculaneum, containing the library of Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus, Julius Caesar's father-in-law, was preserved by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, but has only been partially excavated.

Sporadic attempts to revive the manufacture of papyrus have been made since the mid-18th century. Scottish explorer James Bruce experimented in the unhurried 18th century with papyrus plants from the Sudan, for papyrus had become extinct in Egypt. Also in the 18th century, Sicilian Saverio Landolina manufactured papyrus at Syracuse, where papyrus plants had continued to grow in the wild. During the 1920s, when Egyptologist Battiscombe Gunn lived in Maadi, outside Cairo, he experimented with the manufacture of papyrus, growing the plant in his garden. He beat the sliced papyrus stalks between two layers of linen, and produced successful examples of papyrus, one of which was exhibited in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. The sophisticated technique of papyrus production used in Egypt for the tourist trade was developed in 1962 by the Egyptian engineer Hassan Ragab using plants that had been reintroduced into Egypt in 1872 from France. Both Sicily and Egypt have centres of limited papyrus production.

Papyrus is still used by communities alive in the vicinity of swamps, to the extent that rural householders derive up to 75% of their income from swamp goods. especially in East and Central Africa, people harvest papyrus, which is used to manufacture items that are sold or used locally. Examples increase baskets, hats, fish traps, trays or winnowing mats, and floor mats. Papyrus is also used to make roofs, ceilings, rope, and fences. Although alternatives, such as eucalyptus, are increasingly available, papyrus is still used as fuel.