PAPYRUS —
Cyperus papyrus, a tall aquatic flowering sedge, native to central Africa and the Nile valley. It has stems up to 10 feet and sometimes more, and has been used from ancient times as a source of writing material. Greek bublos (βύβλος) or biblos (βίβλος) (whence ‘bible’) or papuros (πάπυρος). Strips of the pith of the plant were soaked in water, and placed side by side on a surface with another transverse layer of strips laid on top. They were then hammered to create a single sheet, and dried under pressure. Then the sheet was polished with stones. These details are not certain, since the Ancient Egyptians tried to keep the technology secret. read on
