The History of Parchment Paper

Some of the most significant pieces of literature have been written on parchment paper. Sturdy and reusable, parchment was an important player in human history.

Types

Parchment paper is a processed animal skin used as a durable writing surface. Skins included hides from calves, sheep and goats.

History

People were writing on animal skins as early as the 8th century B.C. Parchment as we know it today was invented by King Eumenes II in Pergamum in the 2nd century B.C. This was his response to a ban on the export of papyrus by King Ptolemy Epiphanes. Parchment became popular and surpassed papyrus by the 3rd century A.D.

Geography

The Roman Empire, which stretched from the Middle East to the edges of Western Europe, relied heavily on parchment.

Features

Parchment is a paper-thin animal skin. All the hair is scraped off and the skin is soaked and stretched in lime and water. The pages are stitched together instead of glued. Unlike papyrus, parchment can be written on on both sides.

Fun Fact

Because parchment was expensive, it was common to erase previous writing and use the page again.

References

• The History and Technology of Parchment Making
• Medieval Manuscript Manual