Manuscript

Manuscript, document or work written by hand as distinguished from those typewritten or printed (although the typescript of a book is often called the author's manuscript).

The oldest manuscripts are on papyrus, made from the papyrus plant, the writing material of ancient Egypt and also used in ancient Greece and Rome until superseded by parchment. The earliest surviving papyrus manuscript dates from about 3500 B.C. The Egyptians first wrote with brushes, using ink made from lampblack and water; later they used reed pens. They pasted their papyrus sheets together to make long rolls. Those of the Book of the Dead, the earliest known illustrated manuscript, are more than 100 ft (30.5 m) long. Wax tablets were also extensively used for manuscript writing in the ancient world.

Parchment, or vellum—made from the skins of sheep and other animals and more durable than papyrus—was first used in Pergamum in the 2nd century B.C., but did not come into general use in Europe until about A.D. 300. Some types (palimpsests) could be washed or scraped and used again or even a third time (double palimpsests). The illumination (ornamentation and illustration) of manuscripts was developed by the medieval monastic schools of Europe.

In the Far East paper (invented by the Chinese about A.D. 100), silk, bamboo, and palm leaves were used as writing materials. Paper did not reach Europe until the 11th century and did not begin to supplant parchment until the 1400s. Even after the development of printing, parchment was used for legal and other special documents.