Trivia Junction

A Compendium of trivia I find interesting
...for the curious

Ancestors of modern paper

Invented by the Egyptians, papyrus writing material was made by pressing dried stalks of papyrus, a water reed.

The word “paper” derives from papyrus.

The Egyptians, however, did not invent paper, which is made from cellulose fibers. The first paper was invented in China around A.D. 105 from the inner bark of mulberry trees, waste hemp and old rags.

Before paper, most documents were written on parchment (made from the skin of sheep or goats) or vellum (made from the skin of calves). A 300-page parchment book required the skins of 18 sheep.

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