Communication · c. 2,900 BCE

Papyrus

Pressed reed strips make a light, rollable writing sheet that serves the Mediterranean for 3,000 years.

Egyptians laminated strips of papyrus pith into sheets and rolls; a blank roll from the tomb of Hemaka dates to about 2900 BCE. Far lighter than clay, it carried hieratic script, Greek literature and Roman administration until parchment and paper replaced it.

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