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Papyrus stalks are harvested from along the banks of the Nile River where they grew as a weed. |
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The outer green skin is removed from the stalk.The inner pith of the plant is cut into long thin strips and these strips are pounded to break down the fibers and then soaked for 3 days in water until the pith is clear and pliable. |
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The strips are cut to length and laid, overlapping, on a piece of Cotton fabric. Two layers of strips, one horizontal and the other vertical are used. |
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The sheets of material are placed between two hard absorbent barriers. These "sandwiches" are stacked up and placed in a press. They are squeezed and left in the Sun. Every 8 hours the absorbent barriers would be replaced. This process go on for about 3-4 days or until the Papyri are dry. |
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After removal from the press the Papyri are used for painting pictures, sending correspondence or recording all kinds of events using oil or guache colors, inks or paint in the ancient Egyptian written language now called "Hieroglyphic". |
