What is parchment?

Everybody knows the expression "parchment paper". But what is parchment? Parchment is one of the types of writing material that existed long before the invention of paper. Another parchment was called the text itself, written on such material.

The name of the parchment was given by namethe city of Pergamum, where it was first made in the second century BC. e. Since that time, parchment has been used extensively for writing, in the Middle Ages it was particularly prevalent. More durable and durable than papyrus, parchment could be folded in half, was available for any city, it could be written on both sides. The parchment replaced the papyrus.

Parchment was made from the skin of a large hornedcattle or pigs. The skin was washed, cleaned and dried, stretched on a special skeleton. Then the skin was rubbed with chalk and lined with pumice pieces. Parchment of the best varieties often painted in different colors, giving preference to red. It was from the parchment that the first books were made. The production of books was expensive and required a large number of animal skins.

In addition to parchment, other types of parchment were used for writing, for example, parchment, which was stretched on the base of the drum or served for the details of the loom.

You can also use the article Than to replace the parchment paper.