From papyrus to parchment

Before the birth of paper, there was Papyrus. With it’s oldest surviving remnant dating to around 2900 BCE, it was made by weaving the fibres of the papyrus plant together to create a sheet-like material. This material was then cut into strips, which were laid out side by side and pressed together to form a flat, thin sheet.

Papyrus played a vital role in ancient Egyptian society. It was used to record everything from religious texts to everyday accounting records.  Because of this, ancient Egyptian art and culture has become one of the most studied and iconic ancient cultures of our modern era. As time passed and civilisations advanced however, papyrus was gradually replaced by more widely available alternatives, like parchment.  But what drove this shift?

The Papyrus plant was scarce, found primary around the Nile and in some areas in Sudan. It was exported to the Mediterranean and, as the demand increased, it became harder to find enough papyrus to meet that demand. In addition, Papyrus was brittle and prone to breaking and deteriorating over time, making it difficult to preserve written records. For centuries the use of leather, a more widely available and durable material, had been an alternative, leading to experimentation and improvements in its application.

Parchment was an evolution of this, made by scraping the fur or hair off animal skins and then treating the skin with lime and stretching it until it became thin and translucent. This material was much more durable,  withstanding changes in temperature and humidity better and lasting centuries if properly cared for. This made it an ideal material for important documents like legal contracts and religious texts. By around the second and third centuries BCE, its organised production, and a movement, led by Greek manufacturers in Pergamon, enabled Mediterranean countries to stop being dependant on papyrus.

The popularity of parchment continued to grow throughout medieval Europe, and eventually, it laid the foundation for modern paper-making technology. Parchment-makers developed new techniques for processing animal skins, such as soaking them in water for extended periods and using specialised tools to scrape away the fur or hair. These techniques would later be adapted for use with plant-based materials like cotton and wood pulp.

The invention of paper

It was during ancient China’s Han Dynasty that paper as we know it was first invented. Before this time, in China, paper-like materials were made from items like silk and bamboo but, like Papyrus in ancient Egypt, these were expensive and time-consuming to produce.

Around 105 BC court official Cai Lun’s revolutionised paper-making by using mulberry bark, hemp waste, old rags and other fibres to create a pulp that could be pressed and dried into thin sheets. This groundbreaking technique allowed for the mass production of paper, making it more affordable and accessible than ever before. But what was it about Cai Lun’s paper that made it so transformative?

Strong and durable, Cai Lun’s paper was able to withstand the rigours of daily use, making it ideal for a wide range of applications. It was light and flexible, easy to transport and store. Additionally, it had excellent absorbency and ink retention, making it ideal for writing and drawing.

Cai Lun’s paper-making innovation had a profound impact on society. Parchment, whilst durable, was expensive to produce and required a great deal of skill and expertise to create, limiting it to a small, privileged class of people.  By contrast, paper was cheap and accessible. With the ability to produce paper on a large scale, literacy rates increased and knowledge became more accessible to the masses.

Such paper also played a significant role in facilitating trade and cultural exchange. The spread of paper-making technology allowed for the production of maps, navigational charts, and other documents that were essential to global exploration and trade. It facilitated the spread of knowledge and ideas across cultures, promoting greater understanding and cooperation.

This laid the foundation for the development of printing technology, which would revolutionise the way we disseminate information today. Using woodblocks, these 9th century printing presses were the predecessors to the metal movable type printer used by Korean bookmakers in the early 13th century, and the European printing press invented by Johannes Gutenberg around 1436.