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Steps of Making Papyrus Sheets;
Papyrus is the ancient Egyptians invention for writing paper, and it
was the most important writing material in the ancient world. Our
word “Paper" derives from the word “papyrus", an ancient Egyptian
word that originally meant “that which belongs to the house i.e. the
bureaucracy of ancient Egypt". Papyrus is a common marsh plant
having a triangular reed that used to grow along the banks of the
river Nile. The paper was made from the pith of a papyrus, the tall
stems were cut down and carried off in bundles. Each stem was
stripped of it is rind and cut into short pieces which were then cut
lengthwise into narrow strips. The papyrus pith was kept soaked in
water until the fibers become flexible and translucent.
Two layers of papyrus strips arranged at right angles were put on
a hard flat object and beaten or pressed to desorb the water
until they fused together.
The resulting sheets were left to dry in the direct sun for several
days, then they were polished and glued together to form scrolls.
Painting was carried out utilizing oil colors or gauche colors.
This art was missed for a very long time until it was uncovered
around sixty years ago by some researchers. The way our papyri is
made now in Egypt is a replica of that one used 3000 years ago.
No chemicals, additives or modifiers are used, this is to ensure that
the work of the recent artisans looks the same as that of their
ancient grandfathers.
Processing Steps
1. Papyrus Plant
2. Cut the Papyrus
3. Making the sheets
President of Egypt Cyber Trade, LLC, the owner of www.kingtutshop.com ,
Ph.D. in Industrial Chemistry holder, interested in Egyptology and ancient Egyptian crafts and manufacturing educational kits for 6 - 8 grade classes
Written by: Dr.Nabil Elkhawaga
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