Papyrus – Egypt

The word papyrus refers both to the writing surface invented by the ancient Egyptians, and the plant used to make this material. Papyrus continued to be used until the eleventh century A.D. even as paper, invented in China, became the most popular writing material for the Arab world around the eighth century A.D. With minor variations, the papyrus roll was produced in essentially the same way throughout its approximately 4,000-year history.