Methods and Materials of Making Ancient and Modern Papyrus Sheets: A review.

Document Type : Review articles (should cover a part of the subject of active current interest)

Author

PhD students at the School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Australia

Abstract

Papyrus sheets can contain valuable medical, political, historical, and scientific information on ancient civilizations. However, their methods of manufacture remain a subject of research. This review gathers, compiles, organizes, and evaluates the available theoretical and experimental studies, and includes observations of papyrus manufacture in a modern Egyptian village, Qaramos, that is famous for making papyrus. The review also summarises past and present papyrus making techniques, including the use of strips or peels for sheet manufacture, different adhesives to bond papyrus to create a cohesive single sheet, and additives including natron (a naturally occurring mixture of sodium salts), milk, clay, cedar oil, starch, egg white, bee glue, and lotus seeds used to prepare the surface for writing. The results showed that most authors concur that ancient papyri were made using strips, but to understand the pattern and timing of use of adhesives and surface coatings better, further analyses are required. Moreover, making modern papyrus sheets requires adding chemical substances including sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and chlorine to soften the papyrus strips and lighten sheet colour.

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Labyrinth: Fayoum Journal of Science and Interdisciplinary Studies
Volume 1, Issue 2
Special Issue
October 2023
Pages 74-81

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