The papyrus scroll
The most widely used book form throughout ancient times was the papyrus scroll. From around 3000 BC Chr.stammt the oldest papyrus roll that we know. When Papyrus was introduced in Greece, can not be exactly documented. It is believed that it was used there at the time of the poet Archilochus (about 680 - 640 BC). At that time it was natural to write poetry on papyrus. The oldest evidence of this is found on Attic vase paintings in the late 6th or early 5th century BC. As an alternative to papyrus, animal skins were used as writing material, as Herodotus reports. The Ionians used skins of goats and sheep when there was no papyrus. The first imports of papyrus probably came from Byblos in Phenicia.
Thin strips were cut from the peeled marrow of the stem. A layer of strips, the fibers of which ran horizontally, was taken and laid over it a strip whose fibers ran vertically. Then the two strips were pressed without glue. The leaf was dried and the surface polished.
The leaves were usually about 40 inches wide and about 23 inches high. At the ends, the leaves were glued together to form a roll. The seams of the rolls of good quality were comprehensible. Papyrus was sold in rolls of about 10 m in length. One roll usually consisted of 20 leaves that had been glued together. This role was enough for a book by Thucydides or two short books by Homer.
