Papyrus
DEFINITION
Papyrus plantAn ancestor to modern papers, see thumbnail to rightpapyrus was used especially by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. A papyrus can also be a document or drawing produced on papyrus. The plural form of the word is papyri. Sheets of papyrus were made from stems of the see thumbnail to leftpapyrus plant, which is native almost exclusively to the delta of Egypt's Nile River, which made it an important trading commodity in the Mediterranean region. It is possible for students to use specimens of this plant to produce their own sheets: cutting the stems length-wise, flattening them, overlapping them side-by-side, and again overlapping a second such layer perpendicular to the first. The dry climate of Egypt has made it possible for papyri to remain largely intact, in many cases, for two, three, or more millennia.(pr. pə-PI:-rəs)Examples:Egypt, Western Thebes, Section from the "Book of the Dead" of Nany, c. 1040-945 BCE, Dynasty 21, reigns of Psensennes I-II, Third Intermediate period, painted and inscribed papyrus, height of illustrated section 13 3/4 inches (34.9 cm), Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY. Egypt, second-first centuries BCE (Ptolemaic Period), Fragment of a Book of the Dead Belonging to Paheby, Son of Ankhpakhered and Takhebyt, paint and black ink on papyrus, 8 x 11 1/4 inches (20.3 x 28.5 cm), Michael C. Carlos Museum. See fragment.Papyrus is made from the pith or stems of a tall, aquatic plant, called Mediterranean sedge, also known as Egyptian paper rush and paper plant. The plural form can be either papyruses or papyri. (pr. pah-pi:'rus)Other resources concerned with papyrus: Ancient papyri from Herculaneum, Bodleian Library, U of Oxford. Also see Egyptian art, hieroglyphics, palette, and rush.<br><br>An ancestor to modern papers, papyrus was used especially by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. A papyrus can also be a document or drawing produced on papyrus. The plural form of the word is papyri. Sheets of papyrus were made from stems of the papyrus plant, which is native almost exclusively to the delta of Egypt's Nile River, which made it an important trading commodity in the Mediterranean region. It is possible for students to use specimens of this plant to produce their own sheets: cutting the stems length-wise, flattening them, overlapping them side-by-side, and again overlapping a second such layer perpendicular to the first. The dry climate of Egypt has made it possible for papyri to remain largely intact, in many cases, for two, three, or more millennia.(pr. pə-PI:-rəs)