“Paper is writing material made from wood pulp or other fibrous material.
Almost 5,000 years ago, in ancient Egypt, the papyrus plant was processed and used as paper. Papyrus paper was made from thin sheets of papyrus pith that were soaked in water, pressed together with the grains at right angles, and then dried - the sticky sap of the plant made the thin sheets stick together, forming a sturdy writing surface. Papyrus (Cyperus papyrus is its genus and species) is a grass-like aquatic plant native to the Nile valley of Egypt. Our word paper comes from "papyrus."
Paper is made by grinding plant material into a pulp, forming it into thin sheets, and drying it in a form. This process was inv
ented in AD 105 by Ts'ai Lun, a Chinese official and member of the Chinese Imperial Court, a bout 2000 years ago; he originally used the waste from silk production. Early Chinese paper was made from the bark of the mulberry tree and other plant fibers.”
Paper is one of the most commonly used means of communication to date. New and exciting avenues for art have developed with this scientific achievement. History would not be so inclusive without paper as a catalyst.
For Information Check out this site:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/inventors/communication.shtml
Today, paper is taken for granted and cheaply made. It is used all the time for things such as bank statements, exams, essays, company files, etc. However, it is useless without another invention: the writing utensil. The importance of these two items is paramount. It gave us a written language; it allowed for record keeping; it allowed a new level of creativity. Without this, we would still be relying on oral tradition in which things would eventually be lost. Our evolution would be much slower. The next step towards evolution would be a common language held by all. Although Mandarin is the most used language, it is hardly used outside of China. Therefore, some manner of English would be the world language.
ReplyDeletePaper is still a commonly used form of communication thousands of years after it was invented. Thats pretty amazing! In that time, it sounds like people had to go through a long process to get paper and it wasn't as available as it is today. Today we have notebooks full, packages full and even boxes full. When we start something and mess up, we dont hesitate to crumple the page up and throw it in the trash. I'm sure back then that rarely happened.
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