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The word papyrus refers to a thick paper-like material made from the pith of the papyrus plant, ''Cyperus papyrus''.〔 (【引用サイトリンク】 title=Papyrus definition ) 〕 ''Papyrus'' can also refer to a document written on sheets of papyrus joined together side by side and rolled up into a scroll, an early form of a book. The plural for such documents is papyri. Papyrus is first known to have been used in ancient Egypt (at least as far back as the First Dynasty), as the ''Cyperus papyrus'' plant was a wetland sedge that was once abundant in the Sudd of Southern Sudan along with the Nile Delta of Egypt. Papyrus was also used throughout the Mediterranean region and in Kingdom of Kush. The Ancient Egyptians used papyrus as a writing material,〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/177583/Ebers-papyrus )〕 as well as employing it commonly in the construction of other artifacts such as reed boats, mats, rope, sandals, and baskets. == History == Papyrus was first manufactured in Egypt and Southern Sudan as far back as the fourth millennium BCE.〔H. Idris Bell and T.C. Skeat, 1935. ("Papyrus and its uses" ) (British Museum pamphlet). 〕 The earliest archaeological evidence of papyrus was excavated in 2012 and 2013 at Wadi al-Jarf, an ancient Egyptian harbor located on the Red Sea coast. These documents date from c. 2560–2550 BCE (end of the reign of Khufu).〔 The papyrus rolls describe the last years of building the Great Pyramid of Giza. In the first centuries BCE and CE, papyrus scrolls gained a rival as a writing surface in the form of parchment, which was prepared from animal skins.〔Černý, Jaroslav. 1952. ''Paper and Books in Ancient Egypt: An Inaugural Lecture Delivered at University College London, 29 May 1947''. London: H. K. Lewis. (Reprinted Chicago: Ares Publishers Inc., 1977).〕 Sheets of parchment were folded to form quires from which book-form codices were fashioned. Early Christian writers soon adopted the codex form, and in the Græco-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. Papyrus was replaced in Europe by the cheaper, locally produced products parchment and vellum, of significantly higher durability in moist climates, though Henri Pirenne's connection of its disappearance with the Muslim conquest of Egypt is contested.〔Pirenne, ''Mohammed and Charlemagne'', critiqued by R.S. Lopez, "Mohammed and Charlemagne: a revision", ''Speculum'' (1943:14–38.).〕 Its last appearance in the Merovingian chancery is with a document of 692, though it was known in Gaul until the middle of the following century. The latest certain dates for the use of papyrus are 1057 for a papal decree (typically conservative, all papal bulls were on papyrus until 1022), under Pope Victor II,〔David Diringer, ''The Book before Printing: Ancient, Medieval and Oriental'', Dover Publications, New York 1982, p. 166.〕 and 1087 for an Arabic document. Its use in Egypt continued until it was replaced by more inexpensive paper introduced by Arabs. By the 12th century, parchment and paper were in use in the Byzantine Empire, but papyrus was still an option.〔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.〕 Papyrus was made in several qualities and prices; these are listed, with minor differences, both by Pliny and Isidore of Seville. Until the middle of the 19th century, only some isolated documents written on papyrus were known. They did not contain literary works.〔Frederic G. Kenyon, (''Palaeography of Greek papyri'' ) (Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1899), p. 1.〕 The first discovery of papyri rolls in modern days was made at Herculaneum in 1752. Before that date, the only papyri known were a few surviving from medieval times.〔Frederic G. Kenyon, (''Palaeography of Greek papyri'' ) (Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1899), p. 3.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Papyrus」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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