This article needs additional citations for verification. (June 2019) |
A writing material, also called a writing medium, is a surface that can be written on with suitable instruments, or used for symbolic or representational drawings. Building materials on which writings or drawings are produced are not included. The gross characterization of writing materials is by the material constituting the writing surface (for example, paper) and the number, size, usage, and storage configuration of multiple surfaces (for example, paper sheets) into a single object. Writing materials are often paired with specific types of writing instruments. Other important attributes of writing material are its reusability, permanence, and resistance to fraudulent misuse.
Early media
Because drawing preceded writing, the first remains of writing materials are the stone walls of the caves on which cave paintings were drawn. Another precursor was tally sticks used to record the count of objects or the passage of days or other discrete units of time. Tally sticks have been found made of wood and bone. Knotted ropes and similar materials were also used for tallies. Such materials did not take a great deal of preparation for their use for drawing or writing. Animal hides also had potential for use as a material for writing or drawing, although the drawings and writings may have been decorative or to convey status or religious meaning. Among the barks of trees, birch bark is very well suited for use as a writing material and was used in Northern Europe and among native peoples in North America.
Four other classes of material were sometimes used for writing: clay, wax, cloth, and metal. The value of metal for useful implements may have made it less than useful for practical writing and drawing. The hardness of many metals that made them useful also made it an inconvenient material for many kinds of writing. But foils or sheets of soft metals like lead were usable. Lead sheets were used for curse tablets, as well as personal correspondence.
Writing seems to have become more widespread with the invention of papyrus in Egypt. Parchment, using sheepskins left after the wool was removed for cloth, was sometimes cheaper than papyrus, which had to be imported from outside of Egypt. To save money on expensive papyrus, Egyptians would wash off and reuse it. With the invention of wood-pulp paper, the cost of writing material began a steady decline.
Cloth probably shared its mode of use with animal skins. Clay introduces the useful combination of extreme ease of making the inscription with the potential for rendering it fairly permanent. Unglazed pottery can readily accept inscriptions even after firing. The first libraries consisted of archives of the earliest form of writing – the clay tablets in cuneiform script discovered in Ebla in present-day Syria; and in temple rooms in Sumer, present-day Iraq.Wax offers another novel combination of advantages: a reusable surface, easily inscribed and erased, and an easy combination with materials like wood that give it durability. Stone tablets, clay and wooden writing tablets, and wax-covered wooden tablets are some of the first specialized configurations of materials in flat surfaces specifically for writing.
Unglazed pottery shards were used almost as a kind of scratch paper, as ostraka, for tax receipts, and, in Athens, to record the individual nominations of Greek leaders for ostracism.
Papyrus was first used during the 4th millennium BC in Egypt. In the second century BC, it was replaced in parts of the Mediterranean by parchment made from treated animal hides. Parchments used skins from several different animals, and varied significantly in qualities like texture and color. Parchment was ultimately replaced as the result of the increasing availability of paper.
On the Indian subcontinent, principal writing media were bhurjapatra made from birch bark, and palm leaf manuscript. Palm leaf manuscript was also the major source for writing and painting in South and Southeast Asian countries including Nepal, Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Indonesia and Cambodia. The use of paper began only after the 10th century.
In China, early writing materials included animal bones, later silk,bamboo and wooden slips, until the 2nd century when paper was invented. The invention of paper is attributed to a eunuch of the imperial court called Cai Lun in 105 AD However, paper was not introduced to Europe for another thousand years following a battle in 751 AD where a few paper-makers were captured, and thus the technology spread from Baghdad westward, only reaching Spain in the 12th century.[citation needed]
Paper
Cai Lun used old rags, hemp, tree bark, and fishing nets to develop a method of paper-making fundamentally similar to that still used today.
The Islamic world acquired the art of papermaking in the 8th century, taught by Chinese prisoners who had been taken during eastward expeditions. Eventually, the Muslims brought papermaking to the Indian subcontinent and to Europe. An early Greek name for paper was bagdatikos, meaning 'from Baghdad'. The craft of paper-making reached Spain in the twelfth century, and at subsequent hundred-year intervals arrived in Italy, Germany, and England. Yet for centuries after paper became widely available in Europe, vellum and parchment were preferred for documents that had to be long-lasting. The basic ingredients of paper were linen and cotton, soaked in water and beaten into a smooth pulp, or slurry. As the pulp was drained through a wire screen, the slurry's interlocking fibers matted together, ready for the next step. First, a press squeezed out water from the sheet, preparatory to drying; then, the application of a gelatin coating readied the sheet's surface for ink.
In the late 18th century, paper was still made from cloth gathered by ragpickers. James Whatman and John Baskerville (1706–1775) invented a method for producing perfectly smooth paper using a fine wire mesh that left no lines from the mould on the page.
Electronic media
Electronic media have utilized the keyboard developed for the typewriter, electrical and electronic circuitry, and storage devices, and the viewing screen developed for reading electronic signals to provide another form of writing material. The Palm Pilot was invented in 1996 and further changed the idea of electronic devices as writing materials. It was the first consumer product that allowed people to write directly on an electronic screen using a stylus, rather than having to input their writing using a keyboard.
References
- Krutzsch, Myriam (2016). "Reading Papyrus as Writing Material" (PDF). The British Museum (23): 57–69.
- Casson (2001), p. 3.
- Krasner-Khait, Barbara (2001). "Survivor: The History of the Library". History Magazine. Archived from the original on 17 October 2023. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
- Maclay, Kathleen (6 May 2003). "Clay cuneiform tablets from ancient Mesopotamia to be placed online". University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
- Crawford, Sidnie White; Wassen, Cecilia (2015-10-14). The Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran and the Concept of a Library. BRILL. ISBN 978-90-04-30506-9.
- Viganò, Lorenzo; Pardee, Dennis (1984). "Literary Sources for the History of Palestine and Syria: The Ebla Tablets". The Biblical Archaeologist. 47 (1): 6–16. doi:10.2307/3209872. ISSN 0006-0895. JSTOR 3209872.
- Wellisch, Hans H. (1981). "Ebla: The World's Oldest Library". The Journal of Library History. 16 (3): 488–500. ISSN 0275-3650.
- Kumar, D. Udaya; Sreekumar, G.V.; Athvankar, U.A. (July 2009). "Traditional writing system in Southern India — Palm leaf manuscripts" (PDF). Design Thoughts: 1–7.
- Lyons, Martyn (2011). Books: A Living History. Los Angeles: Getty. p. 18. ISBN 978-1-60606-083-4.
- Dard, Hunter (1978). Papermaking: The History and Technique of an Ancient Craft (2nd ed.). New York: Dover Publications. p. 48. ISBN 0-486-23619-6.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - Murray, Stuart (2009). The Library: An Illustrated History. Skyhorse. p. 51. ISBN 978-1-60239-706-4.
- Murray (2009), p. 57.
- Lyons (2011), pp. 99, 110–111.
- Andrea, Butter (2002). Piloting Palm: the inside story of Palm, Handspring, and the birth of the billion-dollar handheld industry. New York: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 0-471-08965-6.
Further reading
- Harris, Roy (1985) The Origin of Writing. La Salle, IL: Open Court.
- Martin, Henri-Jean (1988) The History and Power of Writing, translated by Lydia G. Cochrane. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1994.
This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this article Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Writing material news newspapers books scholar JSTOR June 2019 Learn how and when to remove this message A writing material also called a writing medium is a surface that can be written on with suitable instruments or used for symbolic or representational drawings Building materials on which writings or drawings are produced are not included The gross characterization of writing materials is by the material constituting the writing surface for example paper and the number size usage and storage configuration of multiple surfaces for example paper sheets into a single object Writing materials are often paired with specific types of writing instruments Other important attributes of writing material are its reusability permanence and resistance to fraudulent misuse Handwriting on paper a writing materialEarly mediaRock paintings in Libya Because drawing preceded writing the first remains of writing materials are the stone walls of the caves on which cave paintings were drawn Another precursor was tally sticks used to record the count of objects or the passage of days or other discrete units of time Tally sticks have been found made of wood and bone Knotted ropes and similar materials were also used for tallies Such materials did not take a great deal of preparation for their use for drawing or writing Animal hides also had potential for use as a material for writing or drawing although the drawings and writings may have been decorative or to convey status or religious meaning Among the barks of trees birch bark is very well suited for use as a writing material and was used in Northern Europe and among native peoples in North America Four other classes of material were sometimes used for writing clay wax cloth and metal The value of metal for useful implements may have made it less than useful for practical writing and drawing The hardness of many metals that made them useful also made it an inconvenient material for many kinds of writing But foils or sheets of soft metals like lead were usable Lead sheets were used for curse tablets as well as personal correspondence Papyrus fragment from the late Middle Kingdom of Egypt Writing seems to have become more widespread with the invention of papyrus in Egypt Parchment using sheepskins left after the wool was removed for cloth was sometimes cheaper than papyrus which had to be imported from outside of Egypt To save money on expensive papyrus Egyptians would wash off and reuse it With the invention of wood pulp paper the cost of writing material began a steady decline Cloth probably shared its mode of use with animal skins Clay introduces the useful combination of extreme ease of making the inscription with the potential for rendering it fairly permanent Unglazed pottery can readily accept inscriptions even after firing The first libraries consisted of archives of the earliest form of writing the clay tablets in cuneiform script discovered in Ebla in present day Syria and in temple rooms in Sumer present day Iraq Wax offers another novel combination of advantages a reusable surface easily inscribed and erased and an easy combination with materials like wood that give it durability Stone tablets clay and wooden writing tablets and wax covered wooden tablets are some of the first specialized configurations of materials in flat surfaces specifically for writing Unglazed pottery shards were used almost as a kind of scratch paper as ostraka for tax receipts and in Athens to record the individual nominations of Greek leaders for ostracism Papyrus was first used during the 4th millennium BC in Egypt In the second century BC it was replaced in parts of the Mediterranean by parchment made from treated animal hides Parchments used skins from several different animals and varied significantly in qualities like texture and color Parchment was ultimately replaced as the result of the increasing availability of paper Palm leaf manuscript On the Indian subcontinent principal writing media were bhurjapatra made from birch bark and palm leaf manuscript Palm leaf manuscript was also the major source for writing and painting in South and Southeast Asian countries including Nepal Sri Lanka Burma Thailand Indonesia and Cambodia The use of paper began only after the 10th century In China early writing materials included animal bones later silk bamboo and wooden slips until the 2nd century when paper was invented The invention of paper is attributed to a eunuch of the imperial court called Cai Lun in 105 AD However paper was not introduced to Europe for another thousand years following a battle in 751 AD where a few paper makers were captured and thus the technology spread from Baghdad westward only reaching Spain in the 12th century citation needed PaperCai Lun used old rags hemp tree bark and fishing nets to develop a method of paper making fundamentally similar to that still used today The Islamic world acquired the art of papermaking in the 8th century taught by Chinese prisoners who had been taken during eastward expeditions Eventually the Muslims brought papermaking to the Indian subcontinent and to Europe An early Greek name for paper was bagdatikos meaning from Baghdad The craft of paper making reached Spain in the twelfth century and at subsequent hundred year intervals arrived in Italy Germany and England Yet for centuries after paper became widely available in Europe vellum and parchment were preferred for documents that had to be long lasting The basic ingredients of paper were linen and cotton soaked in water and beaten into a smooth pulp or slurry As the pulp was drained through a wire screen the slurry s interlocking fibers matted together ready for the next step First a press squeezed out water from the sheet preparatory to drying then the application of a gelatin coating readied the sheet s surface for ink In the late 18th century paper was still made from cloth gathered by ragpickers James Whatman and John Baskerville 1706 1775 invented a method for producing perfectly smooth paper using a fine wire mesh that left no lines from the mould on the page Electronic mediaElectronic media have utilized the keyboard developed for the typewriter electrical and electronic circuitry and storage devices and the viewing screen developed for reading electronic signals to provide another form of writing material The Palm Pilot was invented in 1996 and further changed the idea of electronic devices as writing materials It was the first consumer product that allowed people to write directly on an electronic screen using a stylus rather than having to input their writing using a keyboard ReferencesKrutzsch Myriam 2016 Reading Papyrus as Writing Material PDF The British Museum 23 57 69 Casson 2001 p 3 sfnp error no target CITEREFCasson2001 help Krasner Khait Barbara 2001 Survivor The History of the Library History Magazine Archived from the original on 17 October 2023 Retrieved 5 March 2012 Maclay Kathleen 6 May 2003 Clay cuneiform tablets from ancient Mesopotamia to be placed online University of California Berkeley Retrieved 5 March 2012 Crawford Sidnie White Wassen Cecilia 2015 10 14 The Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran and the Concept of a Library BRILL ISBN 978 90 04 30506 9 Vigano Lorenzo Pardee Dennis 1984 Literary Sources for the History of Palestine and Syria The Ebla Tablets The Biblical Archaeologist 47 1 6 16 doi 10 2307 3209872 ISSN 0006 0895 JSTOR 3209872 Wellisch Hans H 1981 Ebla The World s Oldest Library The Journal of Library History 16 3 488 500 ISSN 0275 3650 Kumar D Udaya Sreekumar G V Athvankar U A July 2009 Traditional writing system in Southern India Palm leaf manuscripts PDF Design Thoughts 1 7 Lyons Martyn 2011 Books A Living History Los Angeles Getty p 18 ISBN 978 1 60606 083 4 Dard Hunter 1978 Papermaking The History and Technique of an Ancient Craft 2nd ed New York Dover Publications p 48 ISBN 0 486 23619 6 a href wiki Template Cite book title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint date and year link Murray Stuart 2009 The Library An Illustrated History Skyhorse p 51 ISBN 978 1 60239 706 4 Murray 2009 p 57 Lyons 2011 pp 99 110 111 Andrea Butter 2002 Piloting Palm the inside story of Palm Handspring and the birth of the billion dollar handheld industry New York John Wiley amp Sons ISBN 0 471 08965 6 Further readingWikimedia Commons has media related to Writing materials Harris Roy 1985 The Origin of Writing La Salle IL Open Court Martin Henri Jean 1988 The History and Power of Writing translated by Lydia G Cochrane Chicago University of Chicago Press 1994
