PapyrusThe Ancient Egyptians didn't develop paper at that time but had something very similar, papyrus. Papyrus is the name of the plant that the scrolls were made of. Tall papyrus reeds grew in vast amounts, best in the Nile delta. The reeds were harvested, tied in bundles and carried by farmers into workshops. The papyrus stem was an unusual triangular shape. The tough outer edges were scraped away leaving the inner part to be soaked in water then cut into strips. Each strip was beaten with a wooden hammer to soften it further and flatten it. These softened strips were now laid on top and across each other and beaten again so the natural juices blend the fibre closely, meshing the strips together. Finally the sheets of papyrus (usually in a square) were pressed down with weights as they dried out. The sheets were then joined together in long rolls instead of the bounded books like we have today. This was first made 5,000 years ago and continued being used for almost 3,500 years. Scribes used these sheets of papyrus with a wooden board underneath it to support it.
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Other toolsScribes used many tools to allow them to write with the main one being long reed brushes dipped in ink. The end of the brush was chewed on or bruised to form the brush part of the tool. It was then moistened to allow the pigment to stay on the brush before being spread on the papyrus and creating writing. Thin, sharpened reed tools were also used, having a gap in the middle to hold the ink inside. The ink was usually made or soot or charcoal mixed with water or saliva and could be either black, staying its natural colour, or red, by adding red oxide.
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