Behind | Papyrus

Can papyrus grow tall where there is no marsh? Can reeds thrive without water? 

Job 8:11 NIV

Papyrus is mentioned a number of times in the biblical text, as in the passage above from the book of Job. Other biblical passages suggest specific uses of papyrus, as in Exodus when Moses’ mother places him in a “papyrus basket,” or when Job compares his days to swift “boats of papyrus.”

But papyrus’ most important appearance in the biblical record is in the material it was written on. Papyrus pages were the paper of the ancient world, but unlike paper, which is made from pulp, the writing material papyrus is made from long thin strips that were cut or peeled from the side of the triangular reed with the same name that was plentiful in the Nile Delta.

These strips of reed were overlaid in two layers, “one atop the other, at right angles. The layers were then pressed together, and the gum released by the breakdown of the plant’s cellular structure acted as a glue which bonded the sheet together.”

Once dried, the papyrus sheets were often attached to other sheets to form scrolls or codices. The side of the papyrus consisting of the horizontal strips was favored by scribes as it provided a natural equivalent of lined paper, while the back side was less conducive to writing as it required writing across the plant’s vertical fibers. As you view papyrus exhibits, notice the direction of the fibers in each. By doing this you should be able to determine at a glance the likely front and back of each fragment.