Making Papyrus

Papyrus is not only the name of the plant, but also the paper that is made from the plant. Papyrus was used to make paper as early as 3,000 BC and was used for thousands of years. 

Papyrus paper was expensive to make, so it was mainly used for religious and official documents. Most Egyptians couldn't afford papyrus, so they would write on other materials, like stone or wood. Even scribes had to practice on wood before they could start writing on papyrus.

Papyrus paper was strong and durable. Many ancient papyrus documents have been preserved. These include literature, religious texts, drawings, criminal investigations, official records medical textbooks, math problems, magical texts and cartoons.

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Papyrus Paper Making Activity

Supplies Needed

• Brown paper bag

• White glue

• Water

• Wax paper

• Bowl

• Stir Stick

What to do

Step 1
Rip the brown paper bag into one inch wide strips of equal length.

Step 2
In a bowl make a mixture of half glue and half water. (To make one sheet of papyrus you only need about 1/4 cup of each.)

Step 3
Dip the brown paper strips in the glue mixture and remove excess glue.

Step 4
Lay the strips side-by-side on the wax paper, overlapping them slightly.

Step 5
Apply another layer of strips at a right angle to the first layer.

Step 6
Let the paper dry overnight.

Step 7
Decorate your creation with paints or crayons.

For more information about papyrus, you can download our free teaching resource. This lesson explores how ancient Egyptians used papyrus to make paper and food, boats, perfumes and a variety of items. We've provided this lesson as a free sample of our Ancient Egypt unit.

We’ve also created free digital task cards that can be assigned to be completed on a device, or can be used with the class on a whiteboard.