Materials used before paper
Paper is a semisynthetic product made by chemically processing cellulosic fibres. To create paper, it needed to grind the source material, boil it in a solution, beat, pour it into a mould, and dry. The first documented mention of the papermaking we are used to was in China during the Eastern Han period (25–220 CE), traditionally attributed to the Imperial court Cai Lun. Subsequently, other countries adopted the method of creation from China, which led to the widespread use of paper products, an increase in the number of books and the natural spread of knowledge. But what was before this invention of paper?
Before paper, there were a considerable number of alternatives. The materials varied from place and culture. Chinese people used bones and shells in the 13th century BC and then moved to bamboo starks in 500BC. But these materials were not particularly convenient to carry; they were too heavy. But in other parts of Asia, there were different materials. For example, tree bark was used in Russia and India, whereas palm leaves were preferred in eastern countries.
Ancient Mediterranean civilizations used clay tablets for a sophisticated accounting system. In Athens, they used quite unusual material. They wrote on broken pieces of pots – ostraca, which used to record individual nominations of greek leaders for ostracism. (Ostracism was an Athenian procedure where a citizen was expelled for ten years.)
When the topic of the first materials before the invention of paper comes up, the image of the Egyptian papyrus immediately pops up in my mind. Papyrus was produced from the pith of the Cyperus papyrus plant; the first documented appearance of papyrus in history dates back 2500 years BC in Egypt. But this medium was too complicated, lengthy and expensive to produce that it was often reused to save money.
Looking at all these devices, as a paper lover, I am happy that I can always take notes or sketch something using only a small notebook that fits in my bag, without searching for a log or making papyrus for a long time. Thanks to our ancestors who have come this long way.
REFERENCES:
“paper.” Hawley’s Condensed Chemical Dictionary, edited by Michael D. Larrañaga, et al., Wiley, 16th edition, 2016. Credo Reference, https://ezproxy.capilanou.ca/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/wileyhawccd/paper/0?institutionId=6884. Accessed 06 Oct. 2021.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_paper#Impact_of_paper
https://www.laserfiche.com/ecmblog/10-ways-people-kept-records-before-paper/
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