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{{short description|Writing material made from a reed-like plant}}
{{About|the paper-like material|the plant it is made from|Cyperus papyrus{{!}}''Cyperus papyrus''|other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Use British English |date=June 2025}}
[[File:Papyrus.jpg|thumb|220px|Papyrus (P. [[British Museum|BM]] EA 10591 [[recto]] column IX, beginning of lines 13–17)]]

'''Papyrus''' ({{IPAc-en|p|ə|ˈ|p|aɪ|r|ə|s}} {{respell|pə|PY|rəs}}) is a material similar to thick [[paper]] that was used in ancient times as a [[writing material]]. It was made from the [[pith]] of the papyrus plant, ''[[Cyperus papyrus]]'', a wetland [[sedge]].<ref>
{{cite web | url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Papyrus | title=Papyrus definition | work=Dictionary.com | access-date=20 November 2008}}
</ref> ''Papyrus'' (plural: ''papyri'' or ''papyruses''<ref>
{{cite web | url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/papyrus | title=Papyrus | work=Merriam-Webster.com | access-date=27 March 2023}}
</ref>) can also refer to a document written on sheets of such material, joined side by side and rolled up into a [[scroll]], an early form of a book.

[[Image:Letter on Papyrus.jpg|thumb|right|220px|An official letter on a papyrus of the 3rd century BCE]]
Papyrus was first known to have been used in [[Egypt]] (at least as far back as the [[First Dynasty of Egypt|First Dynasty]]), as the papyrus plant was once abundant across the [[Nile Delta]]. It was also used [[History of the Mediterranean|throughout the Mediterranean]] region. Apart from writing material, ancient Egyptians employed papyrus in the construction of other [[Artifact (archaeology)|artifacts]], such as [[reed boats]], [[mat]]s, [[rope]], [[sandals]], and [[basket]]s.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Ebers Papyrus|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/177583/Ebers-papyrus|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date=8 March 2014}}</ref>

== History ==
Papyrus was first manufactured in Egypt as far back as the 3rd millennium BCE.<ref>Houston, Keith, ''The Book: A Cover-to-Cover Exploration of the Most Powerful Object of our Time'', W. W. Norton & Company, 2016, pp. 4–8 excerpt [https://delanceyplace.com/view-archives.php?p=3763]</ref><ref name=BritishMuseum>{{cite journal|title=Ayn Sukhna and Wadi el-Jarf: Two newly discovered pharaonic harbours on the Suez Gulf|journal=British Museum Studies in Ancient Egypt and Sudan|last=Tallet|first=Pierre|volume=18|year=2012|pages=147–68|issn=2049-5021|url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/PDF/Tallet.pdf|access-date=21 April 2013}}</ref><ref name=Skeat>H. Idris Bell and T.C. Skeat, 1935. [http://www-user.uni-bremen.de/~wie/Egerton/BellSkeat2.html "Papyrus and its uses"] ([[British Museum]] pamphlet). {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131018121945/http://www-user.uni-bremen.de/~wie/Egerton/BellSkeat2.html |date=18 October 2013 }}</ref> The earliest archaeological evidence of papyrus was excavated in 2012 and 2013 at [[Wadi al-Jarf]], an [[ancient Egypt]]ian [[harbor]] located on the [[Red Sea]] coast. These documents, the [[Diary of Merer]], date from {{Circa|2560}}–2550 BCE (end of the reign of [[Khufu]]).<ref name=BritishMuseum/> The papyrus rolls describe the last years of building the [[Great Pyramid of Giza]].<ref>{{Cite web|title = The World's Oldest Papyrus and What It Can Tell Us About the Great Pyramids|url = http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/ancient-egypt-shipping-mining-farming-economy-pyramids-180956619/|access-date = 2015-09-27|first = Alexander|last = Stille}}</ref>

[[File:Busto maschile.JPG|thumb|left|[[Roman portraiture]] fresco of a young man with a papyrus [[scroll]], from [[Herculaneum]], 1st century CE]]{{Multiple images
| image1            = Book of the Dead of Hunefer sheet 3.jpg
| image2            = Book of the Dead of Hunefer sheet 7.jpg
| caption2          = Sections of Hunefer's [[Book of the Dead]] written on papyrus
| direction         = vertical
}}
For multiple millennia, papyrus was commonly rolled into [[scroll]]s as a form of storage. However, at some point late in its history, papyrus began being collected together in the form of [[Codex|codices]] akin to the modern book.<ref name="inaguralLetter">{{Cite book |last=Černý |first=Jaroslav |author-link=Jaroslav Černý (Egyptologist) |url=https://archive.org/details/1_20200529_20200529_2202/page/2/mode/2up |title=Paper and Books in Ancient Egypt: An Inaugural Lecture Delivered at University College London |date=1952 |publisher=T. & A. Constable Ltd Edinburgh |pages=30 |orig-date=Delivered 29 May 1947 |archive-url=https://archive.org/details/1_20200529_20200529_2202/ |archive-date=2020-05-29}}</ref> This may have been mimicking the book-form of codices created with [[parchment]].{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}} [[List of early Christian writers|Early Christian writers]] soon adopted the codex form, and in the Greco-Roman world, it became common to cut sheets from papyrus rolls to form codices. Codices were an improvement on the papyrus scroll, as the papyrus was not pliable enough to fold without cracking, and a long roll, or scroll, was required to create large-volume texts. Papyrus had the advantage of being relatively cheap and easy to produce, but it was fragile and susceptible to both moisture and excessive dryness. Unless the papyrus was of perfect quality, the writing surface was irregular, and the range of media that could be used was also limited.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}

Papyrus was gradually overtaken in Europe by a rival writing surface that rose in prominence known as [[parchment]], which was made from [[animal skins]]. By the beginning of the 4th century CE, the most important books began to be manufactured in parchment, and works worth preserving were transferred from papyrus to parchment.<ref name=metzger>{{Cite book |last=Metzger |first=Bruce |title=The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration |date=2005 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |edition=4th |pages=8 |language=EN}}</ref> Parchment had significant advantages over papyrus, including higher durability in moist climates and being more conducive to writing on both sides of the surface.<ref name=metzger /> The main advantage of papyrus had been its cheaper raw material — the papyrus plant is easy to cultivate in a suitable climate and produces more writing material than animal hides (the most expensive books, made from foetal [[vellum]] would take up to dozens of bovine fetuses to produce). However, as trade networks declined, the availability of papyrus outside the range of the papyrus plant became limited and it thus lost its cost advantage. 

Papyrus' last appearance in the [[Merovingian]] chancery was with a document from 692 CE, though it was known in [[Gaul]] until the middle of the following century. The latest certain dates for the use of papyrus in Europe are 1057 for a papal decree (typically conservative, all [[papal bull]]s were on papyrus until 1022), under [[Pope Victor II]],<ref>[[David Diringer]], ''The Book before Printing: Ancient, Medieval and Oriental'', Dover Publications, New York 1982, p. 166.</ref> and 1087 for an Arabic document. Its use in Egypt continued until it was replaced by less expensive [[paper]] introduced by the [[Muslim world|Islamic world]], which originally learned of it from the Chinese. By the 12th century, parchment and paper were in use in the [[Byzantine Empire]], but papyrus was still an option.<ref name=Byzantine>Bompaire, Jacques and Jean Irigoin. ''La paleographie grecque et byzantine'', Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 1977, 389 n. 6, cited in [[Alice-Mary Talbot]] (ed.). ''Holy women of Byzantium'', Dumbarton Oaks, 1996, p. 227. {{ISBN|0-88402-248-X}}.</ref>

Until the middle of the 19th century, only some isolated documents written on papyrus were known, and museums simply showed them as curiosities.<ref name="Betz">{{cite book |author=Hans Dieter Betz |url=http://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/G/bo3684249.html |title=The Greek Magical Papyri in Translation, Including the Demotic Spells, Volume 1 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |year=1992}}</ref> They did not contain literary works.<ref>[[Frederic G. Kenyon]], [https://archive.org/stream/cu31924024493649#page/n11/mode/2up ''Palaeography of Greek papyri''] (Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1899), p. 1.</ref> The first modern discovery of papyri rolls was made at [[Herculaneum]] in 1752. Until then, the only papyri known had been a few surviving from medieval times.<ref>[[Frederic G. Kenyon]], [https://archive.org/stream/cu31924024493649#page/n13/mode/2up ''Palaeography of Greek papyri''] (Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1899), p. 3.</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Diringer |first=David |author-link=David Diringer |url=https://archive.org/details/bookbeforeprinti0000diri/page/250 |title=The Book Before Printing: Ancient, Medieval and Oriental |publisher=Dover Publications |year=1982 |isbn=0-486-24243-9 |place=New York |pages=[https://archive.org/details/bookbeforeprinti0000diri/page/250 250–256]}}</ref> Scholarly investigations began with the Dutch historian [[Caspar Reuvens|Caspar Jacob Christiaan Reuvens]] (1793–1835). He wrote about the content of the [[Leyden papyrus X|Leyden papyrus]], published in 1830. The first publication has been credited to the British scholar [[Charles Wycliffe Goodwin]] (1817–1878), who published for the [[Cambridge Antiquarian Society]] one of the [[Papyri Graecae Magicae]] V, translated into English with commentary in 1853.<ref name="Betz" />

=== Varying quality ===
Papyrus was made in several qualities and prices. [[Pliny the Elder]] and [[Isidore of Seville]] described six variations of papyrus that were sold in the Roman market of the day. These were graded by quality based on how fine, firm, white, and smooth the writing surface was. Grades ranged from the superfine Augustan, which was produced in sheets of 13 digits (10 inches) wide, to the least expensive and most coarse, measuring six digits (four inches) wide. Materials deemed unusable for writing or less than six digits were considered commercial quality and were pasted edge to edge to be used only for wrapping.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Lewis|first=N|year=1983|title=Papyrus and Ancient Writing: The First Hundred Years of Papyrology|journal=Archaeology|volume=36 |issue=4|pages=31–37}}</ref>

== Etymology ==
The English word ''papyrus'' derives, via [[Latin]], from [[Greek language|Greek]] πάπυρος (''papyros''),<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Dpa%2Fpuros πάπυρος], Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, ''A Greek-English Lexicon'', on Perseus</ref> a loanword of unknown (perhaps [[Pre-Greek]]) origin.<ref>{{cite book|author-link=Robert S. P. Beekes|first=R. S. P.|last= Beekes|title=Etymological Dictionary of Greek|publisher= Brill|date= 2009|page= 1151|isbn = 9789004174191}}</ref> Greek has a second word for it, βύβλος (''byblos''),<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Dbu%2Fblos βύβλος], Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, ''A Greek-English Lexicon'', on Perseus</ref> said to derive from the name of the [[Phoenicia]]n city of [[Byblos]]. The Greek writer [[Theophrastus]], who flourished during the 4th century BCE, uses ''papyros'' when referring to the plant used as a foodstuff and ''byblos'' for the same plant when used for nonfood products, such as cordage, basketry, or writing surfaces. The more specific term βίβλος ''biblos'', which finds its way into English in such words as 'bibliography', 'bibliophile', and 'bible', refers to the inner bark of the papyrus plant. ''Papyrus'' is also the [[etymon]] of 'paper', a similar substance.

In the [[Egyptian language]], papyrus was called ''wadj'' (''w3ḏ''), ''tjufy'' (''ṯwfy''){{r|inaguralLetter|p=5}}, or ''djet'' (''ḏt'').

== Documents written on papyrus ==
[[File:Papyrus bill of sale donkey.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Bill of sale for a donkey in [[Koine Greek|Greek]], 126 CE; papyrus; 19.3 by 7.2&nbsp;cm, MS Gr SM2223, Houghton Library, Harvard University]]

The word for the material papyrus is also used to designate documents written on sheets of it, often rolled up into scrolls. The plural for such documents is papyri. Historical papyri are given identifying names – generally the name of the discoverer, first owner, or institution where they are kept – and numbered, such as "[[Papyrus Harris I]]". Often an abbreviated form is used, such as "pHarris I". These documents provide important information on ancient writings; they give us the only extant copy of [[Menander]], the Egyptian [[Book of the Dead]], Egyptian treatises on medicine (the [[Ebers Papyrus]]) and on surgery (the [[Edwin Smith papyrus]]), Egyptian mathematical treatises (the [[Rhind papyrus]]), and Egyptian folk tales (the [[Westcar Papyrus]]). When, in the 18th century, a library of ancient papyri was found in [[Herculaneum]], ripples of expectation spread among the learned men of the time. However, since these papyri were badly charred, their unscrolling and deciphering are still going on today.

== Manufacture and use ==
[[File: Men Splitting Papyrus, Tomb of Puyemre MET 30.4.10 EGDP012992.jpg|thumb|Men splitting papyrus, [[TT39|Tomb of Puyemré]]; Metropolitan Museum of Art]]
[[File: Papyrus sheet.svg|thumb|right|Different ways of cutting papyrus stem and making of papyrus sheet]]
[[File: Cyperus papyrus-pjt3.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Papyrus plants near [[Syracuse, Sicily]]]]
[[File: Dictionnaire pittoresque d'histoire naturelle et des phénomènes de la nature (1838) (14780745242).jpg|thumb|150px|alt=Drawing of a greater bird of paradise on papyrus|Drawing of a greater bird of paradise and the papyrus plant]]

Papyrus was made from the stem of the papyrus plant, ''[[Cyperus papyrus]]''. The outer rind was first removed, and the sticky fibrous inner [[pith]] is cut lengthwise into thin strips about {{convert|40|cm|0|abbr=on}} long. The strips were then placed side by side on a hard surface with their edges slightly overlapping, and then another layer of strips is laid on top at right angles. The strips may have been soaked in water long enough for [[decomposition]] to begin, perhaps increasing adhesion, but this is not certain. The two layers possibly were glued together.<ref>'' Introduction to Greek and Latin Palaeography'', Maunde Thompson. [https://archive.org/details/greeklatin00thomuoft archive. org]</ref> While still moist, the two layers were hammered together, mashing the layers into a single sheet. The sheet was then dried under pressure. After drying, the sheet was polished with a rounded object, possibly a stone, [[seashell]], or round hardwood.<ref>Bierbrier, Morris Leonard, ed. 1986. ''Papyrus: Structure and Usage''. British Museum Occasional Papers 60, ser. ed. Anne Marriott. London: British Museum Press.</ref>

Sheets, or ''mollema'', could be cut to fit the obligatory size or glued together to create a longer roll. The point where the mollema are joined with glue is called the ''kollesis''. A wooden stick would be attached to the last sheet in a roll, making it easier to handle.<ref>{{cite book|last=Lyons|first=Martyn|title=Books: A Living History|year=2011|publisher=Getty Publications|location=Los Angeles, California|isbn=978-1-60606-083-4|pages=21}}</ref> To form the long strip scrolls required, several such sheets were united and placed so all the horizontal fibres parallel with the roll's length were on one side and all the vertical fibres on the other. Normally, texts were first written on the ''[[recto]]'', the lines following the fibres, parallel to the long edges of the scroll. Secondarily, papyrus was often reused, writing across the fibres on the ''[[verso]]''.<ref name = Skeat/>

One source used for determining the method by which papyrus was created in antiquity is through the examination of tombs in the ancient Egyptian city of [[Thebes, Egypt|Thebes]], which housed a [[necropolis]] containing many murals displaying the process of papyrus-making. The Roman commander [[Pliny the Elder]] also describes the methods of preparing papyrus in his ''[[Naturalis Historia]]''.{{r|metzger|p=5}}

In a dry [[climate]], like that of Egypt, papyrus is stable, formed as it is of highly rot-resistant [[cellulose]], but storage in humid conditions can result in [[Mold (fungus)|mold]]s attacking and destroying the material. Library papyrus rolls were stored in wooden boxes and chests made in the form of statues. Papyrus scrolls were organized according to subject or author and identified with clay labels that specified their contents without having to unroll the scroll.<ref>{{cite book|last=Murray|first=Stuart|title=The Library: An Illustrated History|year=2009|publisher=Skyhorse|location=New York, NY|isbn=9781602397064|pages=[https://archive.org/details/libraryillustrat0000murr/page/10 10–12]|url=https://archive.org/details/libraryillustrat0000murr/page/10}}</ref> In European conditions, papyrus seems to have lasted only a matter of decades; a 200-year-old papyrus was considered extraordinary. Imported papyrus once commonplace in [[Greece]] and [[Italy]] has since deteriorated beyond repair, but papyri are still being found in Egypt; extraordinary examples include the [[Elephantine papyri]] and the famous finds at [[Oxyrhynchus]] and [[Nag Hammadi]]. The [[Villa of the Papyri]] at [[Herculaneum]], containing the library of [[Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus (consul 58 BC)|Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus]], [[Julius Caesar]]'s father-in-law, was preserved by the eruption of [[Mount Vesuvius]] but has only been partially excavated.

Sporadic attempts to revive the manufacture of papyrus have been made since the mid-18th century. [[Scotland|Scottish]] explorer [[James Bruce]] experimented in the late 18th century with papyrus plants from [[Sudan]], for papyrus had become extinct in Egypt. Also in the 18th century, [[Sicily|Sicilian]] Saverio Landolina manufactured papyrus at [[Syracuse, Italy|Syracuse]], where papyrus plants had continued to grow in the wild.  During the 1920s, when Egyptologist [[Battiscombe Gunn]] lived in [[Maadi]], outside Cairo, he experimented with the manufacture of papyrus, growing the plant in his garden. He beat the sliced papyrus stalks between two layers of linen and produced successful examples of papyrus, one of which was exhibited in the [[Egyptian Museum]] in Cairo.<ref name=Cerny>{{cite book   | first = Jaroslav   | last = Cerny  | title = Paper and books in Ancient Egypt  | publisher = [[H. K. Lewis & Co. Ltd.]]  | location = London  | year = 1947}}</ref><ref name=Lucas>{{cite book  | first = A.  | last = Lucas  | title = Ancient Egyptian Materials and Industries, 2nd Ed  | publisher = Edward Arnold and Co.  | location = London  | year = 1934}}</ref> The modern technique of papyrus production used in Egypt for the tourist trade was developed in 1962 by the Egyptian engineer Hassan Ragab using plants that had been reintroduced into Egypt in 1872 from France. Both Sicily and Egypt have centres of limited papyrus production.

Papyrus is still used by communities living in the vicinity of swamps, to the extent that rural householders derive up to 75% of their income from swamp goods.<ref name = maclean/> Particularly in East and Central Africa, people harvest papyrus, which is used to manufacture items that are sold or used locally. Examples include baskets, hats, fish traps, trays or winnowing mats, and floor mats.<ref>Langdon, S. 2000. ''Papyrus and its Uses in Modern Day Russia'', Vol. 1, pp.&nbsp;56–59.</ref> Papyrus is also used to make roofs, ceilings, rope, and fences. Although alternatives, such as [[eucalyptus]], are increasingly available, papyrus is still used as fuel.<ref name = maclean>Maclean, I.M.D., R. Tinch, M. Hassall, and R.R. Boar. (2003). [https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ilya_Maclean/publication/256461329_Towards_Optimal_Use_of_Tropical_Wetlands_an_Economic_Valuation_of_Goods_Derived_from_Papyrus_Swamps_in_Southwest_Uganda/links/5b7ef87992851c1e122e5393/Towards-Optimal-Use-of-Tropical-Wetlands-an-Economic-Valuation-of-Goods-Derived-from-Papyrus-Swamps-in-Southwest-Uganda.pdf "Towards optimal use of tropical wetlands: an economic evaluation of goods derived from papyrus swamps in southwest Uganda"]. Environmental Change and Management Working Paper No. 2003-10, Centre for Social and Economic Research into the Global Environment, University of East Anglia, Norwich.</ref>

== Collections of papyrus ==
[[File:HeraclesPapyrus.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Heracles Papyrus]]]]
* [[Amherst Papyrus|Amherst Papyri]]: this is a collection of [[William Tyssen-Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst of Hackney]]. It includes biblical manuscripts, early church fragments, and classical documents from the Ptolemaic, Roman, and Byzantine eras. The collection was edited by [[Bernard Grenfell]] and [[Arthur Surridge Hunt|Arthur Hunt]] in 1900–1901. It is housed at [[the Morgan Library & Museum]] (New York).
* [[Papyrus Collection of the Austrian National Library|Archduke Rainer Collection]], also known as the Vienna Papyrus Collection: is one of the world's largest collections of papyri (about 180,000 objects) in the [[Austrian National Library#Papyrus collection and Papyrus Museum|Austrian National Library]] of Vienna.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.onb.ac.at/en/departments/papyrussammlung |title = Department for Papyri |website = Osterreichische Nationalbibliothek}}</ref>
* [[Berlin Papyrus Collection]]: housed in the [[Egyptian Museum of Berlin|Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection]].<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.smb.museum/en/museums-institutions/aegyptisches-museum-und-papyrussammlung/home/| title = Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung|website = Staatliche Museen zu Berlin}}</ref>
* [[Bodmer Papyri]]: this collection was purchased by [[Martin Bodmer]] in 1955–1956. Currently, it is housed in the [[Bodmer Library|Bibliotheca Bodmeriana]] in [[Cologny]]. It includes Greek and [[Copt]]ic documents, classical texts, biblical books, and writing of the early churches.
* [[Chester Beatty Papyri]]: a collection of 11 codices acquired by [[Alfred Chester Beatty]] in 1930–1931 and 1935. It is housed at the [[Chester Beatty Library]]. The collection was edited by [[Frederic G. Kenyon]].
* Colt Papyri, housed at [[the Morgan Library & Museum]] (New York).
* [[Dead Sea Scrolls]]: a collection of [[Second Temple Period]] Jewish manuscripts discovered in the [[West Bank]] between 1946 and 1956. The scrolls were penned using various writing materials, with 8 to 13% of them being written on papyrus.<ref name="Magness, Jodi P.33">Magness, Jodi. ''The Archaeology of Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls''. p. 33. 2002.{{ISBN?}}</ref><ref>McFarlane, Callie. ''A Clear Destiny''. p. 126. 2011.{{ISBN?}}</ref> Most of the scrolls are currently housed at the [[Israel Museum]]'s [[Shrine of the Book]] in [[Givat Ram]], [[Jerusalem]].
* Former private collection of [[Grigol Tsereteli]]: a collection up to one hundred Greek papyri, currently housed at [[Georgian National Center of Manuscripts|Georgian National Centre of Manuscripts]].
* The [[Herculaneum papyri]]: these papyri were found in Herculaneum in the 18th century, carbonised by the eruption of [[Mount Vesuvius]]. After some tinkering, a method was found to unroll and to read them. Most of them are housed at the [[Naples National Archaeological Museum]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Diringer |first=David |author-link=David Diringer |title=The Book Before Printing: Ancient, Medieval and Oriental |publisher=Dover Publications |place=New York |year=1982 |url=https://archive.org/details/bookbeforeprinti0000diri/page/252 |page=[https://archive.org/details/bookbeforeprinti0000diri/page/252 252 ff] |isbn=0-486-24243-9 }}</ref>
* The [[Heroninos Archive]]: a collection of around a thousand papyrus documents, dealing with the management of a large Roman estate, dating to the 3rd century CE, found at the very end of the 19th century at [[Kharabet Ihrit|Batn Ihrit]], the site of ancient Theadelphia, in the [[Faiyum]] area of Egypt by Bernard Pyne Grenfell and Arthur Surridge Hunt. It is spread over many collections throughout the world.
* The Houghton's papyri: the collection at [[Houghton Library|Houghton Library, Harvard University]] was acquired between 1901 and 1909 thanks to a donation from the [[Egypt Exploration Fund]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://hcl.harvard.edu/libraries/houghton/collections/papyrus/bibliographies.cfm |title=Digital Papyri at Houghton Library, Harvard University |access-date=30 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120403025212/http://hcl.harvard.edu/libraries/houghton/collections/papyrus/bibliographies.cfm |archive-date=3 April 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> 
* [[Martin Schøyen Collection]]: biblical manuscripts in Greek and Coptic, [[Dead Sea Scrolls]], classical documents
* [[University of Michigan Papyrus Collection|Michigan Papyrus Collection]]: this collection contains above 10,000 papyri fragments. It is housed at the [[University of Michigan]].
* [[Oxyrhynchus Papyri]]: these numerous papyri fragments were discovered by Grenfell and Hunt in and around [[Oxyrhynchus]]. The publication of these papyri is still in progress. A large part of the Oxyrhynchus papyri are housed at the [[Ashmolean Museum]] in [[Oxford]], others in the [[British Museum]] in [[London]], in the [[Egyptian Museum]] in [[Cairo]], and many other places.
* [[Princeton Papyri]]: it is housed at the [[Princeton University]]<ref>{{cite web| url = http://libweb.princeton.edu/libraries/firestone/rbsc/aids/papyri/digitalimages.html| title = Digital Images of Selected Princeton Papyri| access-date = 13 December 2008| archive-date = 1 December 2008| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081201120011/http://libweb.princeton.edu/libraries/firestone/rbsc/aids/papyri/digitalimages.html| url-status = dead}}</ref>
* Papiri della Società Italiana (PSI): a series, still in progress, published by the Società per la ricerca dei Papiri greci e latini in Egitto and from 1927 onwards by the succeeding Istituto Papirologico "G. Vitelli" in [[Florence]]. These papyri are situated at the institute itself and in the [[Biblioteca Laurenziana]].
* [[Rylands Papyri]]: this collection contains above 700 papyri, with 31 ostraca and 54 codices. It is housed at the [[John Rylands University Library]].
* Tebtunis Papyri: housed by the [[Bancroft Library]] at the [[University of California, Berkeley]], this is a collection of more than 30,000 fragments dating from the 3rd century BCE through the 3rd century CE, found in the winter 1899–1900 at the site of ancient [[Tebtunis]], Egypt, by an expedition team led by the British papyrologists [[Bernard Pyne Grenfell|Bernard P. Grenfell]] and [[Arthur Surridge Hunt|Arthur S. Hunt]].<ref>{{cite web| url = http://tebtunis.berkeley.edu/| title = The Center for the Tebtunis Papyri}}</ref>
* Washington University Papyri Collection: includes 445 manuscript fragments, dating from the 1st century BCE to the 8th century CE. Housed at the [[Washington University Libraries]].
* Yale Papyrus Collection: housed by the [[Beinecke Library]], it contains over six thousand inventoried items. It is cataloged, digitally scanned, and accessible online.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-12-14 |title=The Yale Papyrus Collection |url=https://beinecke.library.yale.edu/collections/highlights/yale-papyrus-collection |access-date=2023-09-17 |website=Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library |language=en}}</ref>

== Individual papyri ==
* [[Brooklyn Papyrus]]: this papyrus focuses mainly on snakebites and their remedies. It speaks of remedial methods for poisons obtained from snakes, scorpions, and tarantulas. The [[Brooklyn Papyrus]] currently resides in the [[Brooklyn Museum]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Ancient Egyptian Medical Papyri|url=http://indigo.ie/~marrya/papyri.html|access-date=17 June 2014}}</ref>
* [[Saite Oracle Papyrus]]: this papyrus located at the [[Brooklyn Museum]] records the petition of a man named Pemou on behalf of his father, Harsiese to ask their god for permission to change temples.
*[[Strasbourg papyrus]]
* [[Will of Naunakhte]]: found at [[Deir el-Medina]] and dating to the [[Twentieth dynasty of Egypt|20th dynasty]], it is notable because it is a legal document for a non-noble woman.<ref>Černý, Jaroslav. "The Will of Naunakhte and the Related Documents". ''[[Journal of Egyptian Archaeology]]'' 31 (1945): 29–53. {{doi|10.1177/030751334503100104}}. {{JSTOR|3855381}}.</ref>

==See also==

*Other ancient [[writing material]]s:
**[[Palm leaf manuscript]] (India)
**[[Amate]] (Mesoamerica)
**[[Bamboo and wooden strips]] (China)
**[[Paper]]
**[[Ostracon]]
**[[Wax tablet]]s
**[[Clay tablet]]s
**[[Birch bark document]]
**[[Parchment]]
***[[Vellum]]

*[[Pliny the Elder]]
*[[Papyrology]]
*[[Papyrus sanitary pad]]
*[[Palimpsest]]
*For Egyptian papyri:
**[[List of ancient Egyptian papyri]]
*Other papyri:
**[[Elephantine papyri]]
**[[Magdalen papyrus]]
**[[Nag Hammadi library]]
**[[List of New Testament papyri|New Testament papyri]]
*The papyrus plant in Egyptian art
**[[Palmette]]

== References ==
=== Citations ===
{{Reflist}}

=== Sources ===
{{refbegin}}
* Leach, Bridget, and William John Tait. 2000. "Papyrus". In ''Ancient Egyptian Materials and Technology'', edited by Paul T. Nicholson and Ian Shaw. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 227–253. Thorough technical discussion with extensive bibliography.
* Leach, Bridget, and William John Tait. 2001. "Papyrus". In ''The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt'', edited by Donald Bruce Redford. Vol. 3 of 3 vols. Oxford, New York, and Cairo: Oxford University Press and The American University in Cairo Press. 22–24.
* Parkinson, Richard Bruce, and Stephen G. J. Quirke. 1995. ''Papyrus''. Egyptian Bookshelf. London: British Museum Press. General overview for a popular reading audience.
{{refend}}

== Further reading ==
* Horst Blanck: ''Das Buch in der Antike''. Beck, München 1992, {{ISBN|3-406-36686-4}}
* Rosemarie Drenkhahn: ''Papyrus''. In: Wolfgang Helck, Wolfhart Westendorf (eds.): ''Lexikon der Ägyptologie''. vol. IV, Wiesbaden 1982, Spalte 667–670
* David Diringer, ''The Book before Printing: Ancient, Medieval and Oriental'', Dover Publications, New York 1982, pp.&nbsp;113–169, {{ISBN|0-486-24243-9}}.
* Victor Martin (Hrsg.): ''Ménandre. Le Dyscolos''. Bibliotheca Bodmeriana, Cologny – Genève 1958
* Otto Mazal: ''Griechisch-römische Antike''. [[Akademische Druck- und Verlagsanstalt]], Graz 1999, {{ISBN|3-201-01716-7}} (Geschichte der Buchkultur; vol. 1)

== External links ==
{{commons|Papyrus|Papyrus}}
{{Commons category|Papyri}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20041024071122/http://lhpc.arts.kuleuven.ac.be/index.html Leuven Homepage of Papyrus Collections]
* [http://www.aldokkan.com/art/papyrus.htm Ancient Egyptian Papyrus – Aldokkan]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110812100534/http://beinecke.library.yale.edu/digitallibrary/papyrus.html Yale Papyrus Collection Database] at the [http://www.library.yale.edu/beinecke/ Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University]
* [https://www.ub.lu.se/en/find/digital-collections/papyrus-collection Lund University Library Papyrus Collection]
* [http://adore.ugent.be/?q=BHSL.PAP&language=nl Ghent University Library Papyrus Collection]
* {{Cite EB1911 |wstitle=Papyrus |volume=20 |pages=743–745 |first=Edward Maunde |last=Thompson |short=1}}
* {{cite web | url = http://www.papyri.info/docs/resources | title = Papyri.info Resource and Partner Organizations | website = papyri.info | archive-url = https://archive.today/20181026203222/http://www.papyri.info/docs/resources | archive-date = 26 October 2018 | url-status = live | access-date = 26 October 2018 }}
* [http://findingaids.library.columbia.edu/ead//nnc-rb/ldpd_6909780 Finding aid to the Advanced Papyrological Information System records at Columbia University. Rare Book & Manuscript Library.]
* [https://www.elbardy.com/site/index.html Modern commercial Papyrus paper making (photos)– Elbardy]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sO72jfUCYSg Papyrus-making in Egypt] (video), scidevnet, via youtube, April 2019.

{{Paper data storage media}}
{{Writing}}

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[[Category:Papyrus| ]]
[[Category:Egyptian artefact types]]
[[Category:Nile Delta]]
[[Category:Papyrology]]
[[Category:Textual scholarship]]
[[Category:Writing media]]
[[Category:Egyptian inventions]]