HISTORY OF PAPER

I PAPYRUS II PARCHMENT

III MAKING PAPER IV PAPER USAGES

CEIP FRANCISCO GINER DE LOS RÍOS CURSO ESCOLAR 2012/2013

ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS

1. PAPYRUS The word Papyrus is the origin of the word

paper.

Papyrus is an acuatic plant. So it has a vegetal origin.

Egyptians used it to write on it.

They also made lots of things with papyrus: sandals, baskets, pants, ropes and boats.

How did Egyptians make papyrus?

They made papyrus from the sterns of the plant.

They crossed the filaments that formed the sterns.

Then they pressed over them to paste each other.

The sap was the adhesive.

Finally they rubbed some days and they got it.

They made rolls of Papyrus. The longest roll found is almost 41 metres long. They can rewrite on it.

Long time after codex substitued papyrus rolls.

Codex A codex was a book, it wasn´t a roll.

First codex pages were of papyrus.

They could write in both faces of the pages.

They can numbered the pages too.

Later papyrus was substitued for vellum paper.

Vellum was made from animals skin.

2. PARCHMENT This material was made from

animals skin. Vellum was a high

quality parchment. There was

low quality parchment too. They

used it to make drums,

tamborines, etc.

It was very used in Middle Age.

It was easier to get than

paypirus.It was harder and

better than papyrus to write. It

was very expensive too.

How can we get a parchment?

Papyrus and parchments were both

used till parchment substitued papyrus.

Men made parchments stretching and tensing

skins in frames and working on them.

• Papyrus and parchment could be reused.

• They erased the old text and rewrite over them.

• Parchment come from animals skin. It was easier to get animals than papyrus.

• Papyrus grew in Nilo riversides but animals were everywhere.

People wrote over other materials from ancient times,

not only papyrus or parchment. They wrote on stones, splint of

wood, ceramic or wax.Papyrus and parchments were very

expensive.only for very important documents.

3. PAPER

Tradition says that was Cai Lun the first manufacturer of paper in the Second Century BC.

He was one of the emperor of China adviser. Chinese made paper from rice, silk, hemp, bamboo and

cotton.

Only China made paper during 500 years. From China passed to Japan, then Asia and through arabians arrived to Spain and Sicily in X century.

People in Europe wore shirts. This was very important, to make paper from the cloth of old shirts. It was very cheap.

Nowadays paper is mainly made from wood.

Men cut lots of trees to make paper because it is a very important material in our life. It has many usages: to write, to wrap, to pack, to make bills, to decorate, and much more…

We can make paper from different materials and there are different kind of paper, different qualities and resistance.

HOW PAPER IS MADE We make paper in factories. The process is:

1. Cut lots of trees to make paper.

2. Crush the wood in Big crushing machines.

3. Mix the crushed wood with glue and water to get cellulose pasta.

4. Add other products to get paper with different characteristics.

IV problems for environment

Deforestation. Millions of trees cut every year to make paper. Whole forrests are cut.

Habitat destruction: animals, insects, plants die when cutting the forrest.

Erosion, desertification of the ground.

Contamination of air, water and ground because of the waste materials from paper manufacturing.

Forrests are Earth slugs

1. We must protect indigenous forrests.

Industry prefer trees that grow quickly.

2. We can recycle and reuse paper.

3. To avoid excesive use: advertising

campaigns waste Tons of paper that end

into the bin everyday.

4. Use natural paper, not very white coloured.

The process to whitewash paper

contaminates water.

5. To make paper using other materials not

only wood: cereals waste.

Work by:

6th year Primary