When we talk about a book, we first of all imagine a well-known bound volume of paper.
This form is so familiar to us that it has become the definition of the function of various objects of a completely different purpose. For example, a sofa-book, a wardrobe-book, a cover-book. But the book as a source of information in antiquity had completely different forms. Texts were written (and sometimes beaten out) on stone, on clay tablets, on the skin of animals, knitted with knots on ropes. One form of ancient book is a papyrus book rolled into a tube.
Papyrus
Papyrus is a plant of the sedge family that grows in places with high humidity. Papyrus grows up to 5 m, its stem is practically without leaves. In Egypt, papyrus was distributed in the Nile Delta. From the stems of papyrus, the ancient Egyptians made material that was used for a wide variety of purposes. Making papyrus is like weaving. Narrow strips of cut stems were laid on a smooth base: in the first layer - inone direction, in the second layer - in the other, perpendicular to the first. After that, the papyrus sheet was placed under oppression, the layers were glued together by the juice, which stood out under the load.
The finished material was used for the manufacture of shoes, and for boats, and for rafts, and for shuttles. Papyrus was made in different varieties. From the August charter to the merchant charter.
The August chart (in honor of Emperor Augustus) was used to write the most important texts, the merchant's chart was like wrapping paper.
For us, the most interesting thing is a papyrus book. The sheets were glued together and rolled into a scroll. The scroll was wound with papyrus cord and sealed with a clay seal, often in the form of a scarab. They were stored in special wooden boxes. Less important scrolls were kept in clay pots.
What was written in ancient books
Papyri were written with a reed stick, which was called "kalam". They wrote with black and red paint, which were laid out on a clay plate (palette).
The first hieroglyphs of the line were always written in red paint. Hence the expression "red line". Scientists now have a lot of papyri at their disposal. The oldest papyri found by archaeologists dates back to the 26th century BC.
The variety of texts on ancient Egyptian papyri is very large. This is a description of the construction of the pyramids, and stories about military campaigns, and scientific work. Biographies anddeeds of the pharaohs. Known book of papyrus, rolled into a tube, which tells about medicine. There are treatises on mathematics and military affairs. The Egyptians wrote down teachings, fairy tales, poems. The Brussels Museum houses a papyrus dedicated to solving crimes.
Papyri in Ancient Greece
Before the appearance of papyrus in Greece, they wrote mainly on wax and clay tablets, on clay shards. But wax and clay tablets are very short-lived. And you can’t write much on shards. Papyrus came to Greece from Egypt in the 7th century BC. e. and became the main material for writing. This caused great changes in the development of science and literature.
Scientists have found papyri with works by Hesiod, Sappho, Euripides, Sophocles, Euclid and others.
A papyrus book rolled up into a tube is one of the attributes of the Greek muse of history Clio. In older images, she holds a papyrus scroll in her hands.
Papyrus appeared in Rome later, in the 3rd century BC. e.
Papyrus was later replaced by parchment, a material made from specially treated leather.
Papyrology
Papyrology is the study of papyri. It arose at the end of the 19th century, deals with the classification of not only papyri, but also other ancient written sources, dating, classification, and the origin of papyri. In accordance with the content of the papyri are divided into literary and business. They are also classified by date, place of discovery, type of letter used.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, scientificpapyrological journals.
A papyrus book rolled up into a tube will still tell us a lot of interesting things!
