Writing materials of ancient times

Writing materials are very essential for man kind. These are required to let know our past and present history to the future generation. In fact existence of a nation depend upon writing materials. Thus it is necessary for us to preserve these suitably. Preservation means to protect and control ancient writing materials from any distroying and damaging.

Some Writing materials of ancient times are described below:

1. Stone: In ancient period, man lived in the cave. They had written by symbol on the stone for durability. Most of the Asokan inscriptions were engraved on stone. Rosetta Stone is an example  of this.

These stones are kept upon one by one in a room.

2. Bark/ Leaves: Bark is the layer of tissue surrounding the woody cylinders of trees. Bark was used almost universally  as a writing surface at once time. Besides, palm leaves were used to writing materials in the ancient time.

A mixture of lampblack and oil and salt of Salicylic acid were used on these for protection from insects.

3. Clay Tablets: Clay tablet was made with mud. Clay first moistened then kneaded into dough, shaped by hand, inscribed with a stylus while still soft band finaly hardened.

These were preserved in the big box for there frailness.

4. Papyrus: This writing material made from the marrow of the papyrus plant. This was smooth enough when new to be written on with the Egyptian’s fiber brush pen.

For convenience, the papyrus sheets were glued into long strips. then these were rolled on wooden cylinders and wrapped in skins or cloth.

5. Parchment and Vellum:  The process for making parchment and vellum is supposed to have been developed about 190 B.C. at Pergamum in Asia Minor. true vellum is the skin of a young, usually not over six weeks old, calf which has been cleaned of hair, fat, muscle etc. It is preserved by soaking in a always been the choice of craftsmen for luxurious manuscripts and for expensive bindings. Parchment was used for bindings and manuscripts of lesser quality.

Sewing the written sheets these were covered with skin or vellum, at both side for protection from insects.