Editing Papyrus (section)

{{short description|Writing material made from a reed-like plant}}
{{About|the paper-like material|the plant it is made from|Cyperus papyrus|other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}} 
[[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 surface]]. 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>