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Coventina

(28,578 posts) Fri Aug 22, 2025, 01:08 AM Friday

Coventina's History Thread: Where does paper come from?

Paper, as we know it today, is a Chinese invention.

However, I'll get to that in a future thread.

Today, I want to talk about the ancient paper-precursor: Papyrus!

Papyrus, as invented and made in ancient Egypt, predates paper by about 3000 years!

We even call "paper" "paper" because it comes from papyrus!

Ancient Egyptians developed it by hammering strips of the papyrus plant into a unified sheet for writing. The Egyptians even sold it to the Greeks and Romans until around 300 BCE. With their papyrus supply cut off, Greeks and Romans turned to parchment, which is made from the skins of a variety of animals. (More on parchment at a later date as well).

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8 replies

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Coventina's History Thread: Where does paper come from? (Original Post) Coventina Friday OP

Thank you! niyad Friday #1

went to a paper making workshop once. easy to see why it was so valuable in the early days nt msongs Friday #2

Ty. I think I did paper making workshop, too, decades ago. electric_blue68 Friday #3

Thank you for these interesting posts! FemDemERA Friday #4

A lot of papyrus shops in Siracusa, Sicily, when I visited nuxvomica Friday #5

Thanks, great mini history info. Fla Dem Friday #6

I've Been To A Few Papermills ProfessorGAC Friday #7

I also then watched a video on papyrus. Very cool... electric_blue68 Friday #8

niyad

(126,336 posts)

1. Thank you!

Reply to Coventina (Original post)

Fri Aug 22, 2025, 02:10 AM

Friday

msongs

(72,145 posts)

2. went to a paper making workshop once. easy to see why it was so valuable in the early days nt

Reply to Coventina (Original post)

Fri Aug 22, 2025, 02:32 AM

Friday

electric_blue68

(23,369 posts)

3. Ty. I think I did paper making workshop, too, decades ago.

Reply to Coventina (Original post)

Fri Aug 22, 2025, 02:55 AM

Friday

FemDemERA

(560 posts)

4. Thank you for these interesting posts!

Reply to Coventina (Original post)

Fri Aug 22, 2025, 08:20 AM

Friday

nuxvomica

(13,564 posts)

5. A lot of papyrus shops in Siracusa, Sicily, when I visited

Reply to Coventina (Original post)

Fri Aug 22, 2025, 08:25 AM

Friday

It was growing wild everywhere. I bought a portrait of Archimedes on papyrus.

Fla Dem

(27,001 posts)

6. Thanks, great mini history info.

Reply to Coventina (Original post)

Fri Aug 22, 2025, 09:02 AM

Friday

ProfessorGAC

(74,071 posts)

7. I've Been To A Few Papermills

Reply to Coventina (Original post)

Fri Aug 22, 2025, 06:31 PM

Friday

Very loud, very steamy, and an unpleasant fragrance.
But, it's impressive to watch the machinery!
A couple of those sites made the Kraft paper used for cardboard.
(I was working on surfactant systems to accelerate the dewatering of the pulp so less energy was needed to dry the moisture.)

electric_blue68

(23,369 posts)

8. I also then watched a video on papyrus. Very cool...

Reply to Coventina (Original post)

Fri Aug 22, 2025, 10:43 PM

Friday

showed flattened reed woven together before either pounding, or putting through a mechanical flattener.

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