Papyrus (Greek πάπυρος) is a material that in ancient times was used for writing in Egypt and other countries. It probably appeared, with the advent of writing, back in the pre-dynastic era in Ancient Egypt (end of the 5th century - c. 3100 BC).
You will need
- - papyrus;
- - water;
- - pots or containers for soaking;
- - large surfaces for drying papyrus (floor or table);
- - heavy press;
- - subtle matter;
- - heavy club or wooden hammer;
- - tool for smoothing.
Instruction manual
1
For the manufacture of papyrus previously used the same plant (Cyperus papyrus), which grows on the banks of the Nile. Today, the ornamental sedge family papyrus has almost disappeared. If you have the necessary materials, the process of creating a canvas for writing is relatively simple and quite feasible at home.
2
To make a canvas for writing, freshly picked stems of papyrus must be cleaned of bark. The stalk is cut very thinly, maintaining the maximum width. It is worth noting that the outer fibers and the core are of the same quality.
3
From the resulting blanks, it is necessary to remove excess sugar. To do this, the bands obtained from the core are soaked in water. The material must be soaked until excess sugar is gone and the water becomes milky white.
4
Next, the workpiece must be prepared for drying. Place the strips under the heavy press so that the glass is excess water and the fibers are aligned.
5
Now you need to form a sheet. To do this, on a flat surface (floor or table), lay the strips of papyrus side by side with a little overlap. On top lay the second layer of material at right angles to the first. Cover with a thin cloth on top. All this for an hour you need to beat with a heavy club or wooden mallet. In ancient Egypt, this was done with a rounded stone, the most convenient size for holding by hand.
6
Drying of papyrus: place a heavy press on top of the resulting sheet shapes and dry them for a week. During the drying process, the remaining sugar in the workpieces firmly glues the pieces together and a continuous web of thin paper is formed that can be used for writing.
7
At the end of the process, the dried sheets of papyrus are beaten with a club and smoothed, glued into scrolls or stitched into books.
eight
The front side used for writing was considered the one on which the fibers were placed horizontally. It was possible to use the reverse side only when the main text became unnecessary. However, most often unnecessary text was simply washed away.
Helpful advice
Growing papyrus (cyperus) is simple. The plant grows in light partial shade, in winter it requires good lighting. Summer temperature should be 18-25 ° C, winter - 16-18 ° C. The roots of cyperus must be moist, so the pot in the summer period must be placed in a pan with water, in winter - reduce watering. Also, the plant likes regular spraying and washing of leaves. During the growing season, cyperus is fed.
