Today both Sicily and Egypt are almost the only places that continue to have centers of papyrus production. Ragab was able to redevelop the production process and officially revive the ancient technique and make once again part of the Egyptian Culture. In order to reinvent the art of papyrus-paper making in Egypt, he first obtained the roots of the plant from Sudan and Ethiopia and established what is considered to be one of the largest man papyrus plantations in the world at Jacob Island at Giza, also known as the Pharaonic Village.ĭespite the lack of information regarding the old manufacturing methods Dr. Hassan Ragab, an Egyptian Engineer who was long fascinated by the mysterious techniques of the ancient Egyptians. However, the modern technique of papyrus production used in Egypt today was developed in 1962 by Dr. Following that was another attempt, also in the 18th century, by a Sicilian man named Saverio Landolina in Syracuse, where papyrus plants had continued to grow in the wild. A Scottish explorer named James Bruce experimented in the late 18th century with papyrus plants from the Sudan. There have been several attempts to revive the manufacture of papyrus during the past 250 years. ![]() Pulped paper gained fame for its higher durability, particularly in moist climates, and the fact that it could be manufactured anywhere. The Arabs introduced the pulped paper process in the 10th century, which they had learned from their Chinese prisoners. Right: Illustration of Nefertari on Boat Left: Illustration of Akhenaton on a ChariotĮventually, the papyrus plant disappeared from the area of the Nile as the Egyptians gradually abandoned the production and neglected the cultivation of papyrus plantations shortly after If a sheet of papyrus has writing on both sides but in different hands, it is generally be assumed that the writing on the recto is the earliest. It was usual to write on that side of the sheet on which the fibers ran horizontally (recto) the other side (verso) was used only exceptionally. The regular format for ancient works of literature was the papyrus roll. On the other hand, the papyrus sheets were the preferred writing materials of the ancient world because they were light, strong, thin, durable, and easy to carry. The roots of the plant were also burned for fuel, and from dried papyrus mats were made, mattresses, boxes, tables and sandals. Ancient Egyptians discovered how to make paper from the stems of the plant as early as 3000 B.C.ĭespite the fact that the plant was mainly used in the production of paper, it was also a major component in the manufacturing of boats, rope and baskets. The plant is harvested in the fall, (October, November and December) after the flood season. This plant which grew to 4 or 5 meters in height survived in Egypt thanks to the dry climate. The raw material of papyrus paper comes from the plant Cyperus papyrus, a long stemmed plant that grows in damp regions of the Nile Delta in Egypt. It was even exported to many locations in the ancient world. ![]() Once the technology of papyrus making was developed, its method of production was a closely guarded secret allowing the Egyptians to have a monopoly on it as it became the lifeblood for ancient Egypt. Papyrus was very important to the ancient Egyptians as it helped transform Egyptian society in many ways. It is often claimed that Egyptians referred to papyrus as pa-per-aa, literary meaning, that which is of Pharaoh, apparently indicating that the Egyptian crown owned a monopoly on papyrus production, though no actual ancient text using this term is known. The Arabic word is Bardy or also Warak Bardy meaning Papyrus paper. The English word papyrus is derived via Latin, from the Greek, papuros.
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