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Papyrus was a useful plant to the ancients
We're all familiar with paper and actually China was the birthplace of that specific product. However, there was another type of writing material that we often ignore. Cyperus papyrus is a plant that had many uses in the ancient world and it is also the name of the product that was iconic scroll of ancient times. It is a river and wetlands plant, native to the African continent and was considered essential and useful in ancient times. Besides the papyrus 'paper', it was also used in many woven goods, sandals, ropes, food and perfume. Egyptian art depicts the papyrus plant on the walls of kings and high ranking officials. It decorates columns, pottery and sculptures that we can even see today. Papyrus was widely used in the ancient world, even as far north as Britannia. However very few examples remain. It deteriorates rapidly in damp or humid conditions, so that is why what scraps we have, were found in dry, desert climates. It is fragile and easy to tear. That is why parchment soon replaced it, since the animal skins it was prepared from were much more stable and sturdy
Making paper from papyrus
About 3000 B.C.E. someone had the idea that the inner pith of this reed-like plant could be useful as a writing surface. Until then, clay tablets were the method used for communication and historical records. The stalks of the plants were carefully split and the pithy core removed. These were then laid side by side with just a little lap over. The second layer was laid across the first at a 90 degree angle and the whole mass pressed and pounded until the sticky pith blended together. The resulting sheet was then smoothed with a stone or slick piece of pottery until the surface could be written on. Sheets were pounded together in long strips and rolled around sticks to form the traditional scroll form that priests and officials used to record everything from tax payments to instructions for appealing to whatever deity was popular at the time.
Papyrus history
Boats made from papyrus reeds were quite popular along the Nile and were used by nobles and commoners alike. That inspired the Norwegian adventurer, Thor Heyerdahl to undertake his 1970 voyage of the Ra II from the west coast of Africa to the Caribbean in a papyrus reed boat. He proved that long sea voyages by these ancient peoples were possible, even with the crude little boats that were more suited to river travel, as opposed to open ocean voyages. The plants were plentiful and grew in great numbers in the flooded and swampy areas of the Nile. In fact, one of the common names for the papyrus plant is the bulrush and the story of the baby Moses hidden in a reed basket (which was probably papyrus as well) among the bulrushes is a story that most children learn at a very early age. Unfortunately, with civilization and urbanization along the floodplains, the iconic papyrus plant is all but extinct in Egypt today. A few enterprising farmers keep stands of it to supply the tourist trade with souvenirs, however the wild papyrus is all but gone along the Nile
Growing papyrus in the garden
The plant has large, deep rhizome roots that need constant moisture and the reed-like stalks can grow as tall as 16 feet where they haven't been disturbed. The umbrella-like flower heads are the only visible side growth, sitting upon the tops of the stalks. They grow in large colonies in tropical and semi-tropical climates and areas that are frost-free. That would be in USDA zones 9-12 here in the US, however it needs mulch or protection in the northern edges of the range. Warm climates with wet conditions are wonderful for growing papyrus, however gardeners must remember that the plant is considered invasive in Florida and has also escaped cultivation in Louisiana, California and Hawaii. There are no natural deterrents to the unchecked colonies that often choke out native plants. The plants spread by seeds or root division. The seeds float on the water and germinate in the mud, so the papyrus spreads quickly. Gardeners can contain it in water features and enclosed pots and ponds if they want to be sure it does not spread. Those that live in cold winter climates can bring containers indoors until spring arrives as well.
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Crafts from papyrus
While papyrus isn't vital to a civilization anymore, it does make for a great decorative plant. It thrives in bog and pond gardens and it grows so fast, even northern gardeners can grow it as an annual, or bring it indoors during cold weather. Just remember to keep it contained if you live in a climate with warm winters to prevent it escaping and becoming invasive. It makes a striking statement and you can even try your hand at making paper, baskets, ropes and other items from the stalks.
The people that did all of the writing in ancient Egypt were called ‘Egyptian scribes’. We can give credit to the scribes for giving us so much important information about what life was like in ancient Egypt. Today, we have books and libraries as well as the internet to get our information. In the days of the pharaohs, the Egyptian scribes kept track of everything, even the smallest detail.
Ancient Egyptians scribes knew how important the scribes were. In the social classes, scribes were near the top of the chart. Scribes didn’t have to pay taxes, be part of the military or do any of the manual labor. Boys were sent to school at a young age to learn how to become a scribe.
Most of the children that went to school to learn to become a scribe were middle class, because it cost money for the school. The Egyptian title for scribe is ‘sesh’ which actually translates to “to draw”. The highest level of scribe would be for the pharaoh’s court.
Scribes learned how to communicate using the hieroglyphs that were the writing of ancient Egypt. The Egyptians kept records of absolutely everything and were very efficient and detailed.
Scribes were in attendance to record the stocks of foods, court proceedings, wills and other legal documents, tax records, magic spells and all of the things that happened every day in the life of the pharaoh. Scribes were one of the most important functions that kept the administration in order. Very little happened in ancient Egypt that was not recorded by a scribe.
Children who went to school to learn to become a scribe would sit on the floor, cross legged, with a wooden board on their lap to do their lessons. This is the standard position that we see most scribes in throughout Egypt. All of the images that have been found for scribes show them sitting on the ground with their scribe board on their lap to ‘draw’ the hieroglyphs.
Unlike our writing, hieroglyphs were action ‘pictures’ that could mean one word, many words or an entire idea. The scribes would have been experts at writing in hieroglyphs and they became the developers and protectors of the history of Egypt. Egyptians believed that organization was key to making sure the government ran smoothly and the records kept by the scribes made sure that this happened.
Scribes didn’t just create new written information; they also edited existing writings. Keeping the history of Egypt meant that the scribe had to be very educated. Many of the higher positions in the Egyptian government required that they have the training of the scribes.
Most of the members of the government and royal court could read and write, but if they couldn’t they would hire scribes to do their writing for them.
The process of making papyrus took a long time and was very expensive. Instead of wasting papyrus to practice, scribes would often use pieces of clay called ‘ostraca’.
The scribe pen was made from a reed stem that was very thin, most of the time around 9” long. They hammered the end of the reed until it was soft and began to fray and then they trimmed the end to make it useful as a brush.
The ink that the scribes used was carried in flat pallets with two sections: one for red ink and one for black ink. Red ink was made by mixing a kind of gum with red oxide for color and the black was gum mixed with soot. Almost everything was written in black ink, except anything that had to do with titles, headings or magical words.
The ink that the scribes used was carried in flat pallets with two sections: one for red ink and one for black ink. Red ink was made by mixing a kind of gum with red oxide for color and the black was gum mixed with soot. Almost everything was written in black ink, except anything that had to do with titles, headings or magical words.
For Young Archaeologists An Ancient Scribe’s Tool Kit
Any good worker needs the right tools to do their job well, and ancient Egyptian scribes were no exception. Among the few people in the kingdom who could read and write hieroglyphics, they had a very important job. Scribes worked for the Pharaoh or temple priests and needed to be ready to do their work any time and place they were called. Only men worked as scribes, and sons often followed their fathers into the profession. They were paid well and lived with Egypt’s upper class.
While each scribe filled out his kit exactly as he (and his boss) wanted, there was regular equipment used by every scribe. Here is a typical royal scribal kit from the time of King Tutankhamun (ca. 1340 BC).
- 12-inch long wooden palette which held ink cakes and rush pens
- 8 to 10 inch long rush pens with chewed fiber tips, made from the stems of rushes growing on the banks of the Nile
- Ink cakes usually of black (soot) and red (ochre)
- Hank of linen thread used to tie a rolled-up finished document
- 5 inch diameter smooth pebble used to smooth (or burnish) papyrus sheets
- Tortoise shell used to hold water
- Leather bag to hold extra color pigments and other supplies
- 12 inch long pen case made of a reed stem that could hold up to 30 rush pens
- 2 inch scribe’s seal
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