papyrus

n. Sheets of writing material made by weaving strips of pith taken from the plant Cyperus papyrus.

Notes

Papyrus is a forerunner of paper, and was used by ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans between the 4th century b.c. and the 4th century a.d.

Citations

Roberts and Etherington 1982 One common characteristic of papyrus, regardless of quality, is the difference between the two sides of the sheet, which stems from the strips being at right angles to each other. The recto side, on which the strips run horizontally, was the side generally preferred for writing, while the verso, which had vertical strips, was less frequently used. A material as pliable as papyrus was well suited to be rolled, and when this was done the recto became the inner side and the verso, with no writing, the outer side.