Papyrus

The Papyrus in Ancient Egypt


 * Egyptian Name:**

//Mehyt, Wadj, Tjuft,// or //Twfy//

Hieroglyphics:



The symbol of Lower Egypt, which was known as the "Land of Papyrus." The ancient Egyptians grew and harvested this plant since the early 1st Dynasty, and it was used to make paper, cloth, rope, barques, mattresses, sails, wigs, paintbrushes, mats, incense, life preservers, sandals, and baskets. Rich in nutrients, the pith of young shoots were eaten raw, boiled, roasted, or ground into flour. The flowering heads were linked to make garlands, and the whole plant was used as a cattle feed. The woody root of the papyrus was used to make bowls and other utensils, and was burned for fuel.

The papyrus hieroglyphic was used in words such as "green," "flourishing," and "books." The Papyrus Specter was buried with the dead, and during the Old Kingdom fresh papyrus stalks with flower heads were a part of the offerings that the deceased took to the grave. The priestesses of Nekhbet, who were part of funeral rites, wore papyrus crowns. It was also the sacred plant of the deities Wadjet, Hathor, and Hapi, who often wore a papyrus on his head.

Papyrus charms were frequently used to protect children. A magical formula was written on a small piece of parchment, which was folded or rolled up and placed inside a small wooden or leather container. The child then wore the container around their neck. One example of such a charm on display in the British Museum reads: "I promise to keep this child healthy in his flesh and bones. I shall keep healthy his head." The deity also pledges to keep healthy the boy's eyes, teeth, tongue, nose, belly, lungs, liver, and other body parts and to "enable him to grow up." The hieroglyphic for “be prepared” was a papyrus flotation device.

The papyrus was a popular motif used in jewelry and tomb paintings, and in temples bundles of papyrus carved in stone held up the ceiling, which symbolized the sky. The plant was also offered to the gods - Ramses III gave to the Temple of Amun 68,200 papyrus flower bouquets, 349,000 papyrus stems, 15,110 papyrus sandals, and 34,500 measures of papyrus-rind worked into incense.

In order to make papyrus paper, the Egyptians cut the stem of the plant into thin strips, which were laid side by side in a perpendicular fashion. A solution of resin from the plant was laid down and a second layer of papyrus was put into place, horizontally. The two layers were then pressed together and allowed to dry. Immense rolls of papyrus could be made by joining the single sheets. One roll in the British Museum measures 135 feet (41.15 meters) long. The more common size, however, was from 9 inches (22.9 cm) to 10 inches (25.5 cm) by 5 inches (12.7 cm) to 5.5 inches (14 cm.) Sometimes old writing was washed off or otherwise obliterated and the papyrus re-used. Both sides of the papyrus were generally written on.

The major cultural impact of the papyrus was significant, and during the Greco-Roman Period enormous qualities were exported all over the Roman empire. So important was papyrus for paper that in 25 B.C.E. Rome attained a monopoly on its production, raising the price to levels that brought criticism from the populace. The revenue from papyrus reached such heights that the proceeds were said to be significant to maintain the entire Roman army. Of papyrus paper Cassiodorus (540 C.E.) wrote: “A wonderful product in truth is this wherewith ingenious Memphis has supplied all the offices in the world.” In order to keep their monopoly, the Romans ordered the destruction of all stands of papyrus except those under their control. After the collapse of the Western empire in the 5th century C.E., Europe was cut off from its source of papyrus paper and reverted to using parchment.

Many important works of the ancient world were written on papyrus paper – Homer’s //Odyssey// and //Iliad//, Sappho’s poetry, the Song of Songs and the books of the Old and New Testaments, Aesop’s fables, the Koran, Hesiod’s Work and Days and Theology, and the works of Pythagoras and Xenophanes.

By the 9th century C.E., linen paper became popular and papyrus was no longer an essential commodity. The tended stands were abandoned, and the papyrus plant went extinct in Egypt. Today attempts are now being made to reintroduce it into Egypt, although it is now restricted to public parks, museum gardens, and areas related to the tourist industry.

The Fiber and Oil Plants of Ancient Egypt

Flowers of Ancient Egypt

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