papyrus

Ingredients

papyrus reed, stalks, fresh stalks

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

Papyrus is created using the stalks of a reed found primarily along the Nile. The fresh stalks are cut into lengths and sliced into thin strips. These strips are then laid in two overlapping layers arranged at right angles to one another. The layers are pressed together and dried to form a cohesive sheet (p. 52). Individual sheets were frequently glued together to create longer rolls or scrolls, which was the standard format for its use (p. 52).

Evidence

"Papyrus was made from the stalks of a reed that grew primarily along the banks of the Nile River in Egypt. . . it quickly spread throughout the Arab Mediterranean lands replacing papyrus and parchment."

Remarks

Papyrus served as a primary writing support in the Mediterranean for millennia before being replaced by paper. Production was an Egyptian monopoly because the reed only grew thick enough for practical writing material in that specific riparian environment (p. 52). Its use was eventually superseded by paper starting in the late eighth century because paper was cheaper and more readily available across the wider Abbasid empire (p. 52).