Create papyrus pictures on genuine natural papyrus 30x20 cm from Egypt
Quick overview
Papyrus pictures are drawings, paintings, or calligraphy executed on genuine writing material made from the sedge Cyperus papyrus. The term covers ancient originals such as the illustrated Books of the Dead of the 19th Dynasty (c. 1275 BC) as well as modern works on hand-laid sheets. This product contains unprinted natural papyrus sheets in 30x20 cm format, crafted in Egypt by hand using the ancient laying technique.
How were papyrus pictures created along the Nile between 1550 BC and AD 200?
Illustrated papyri are an Egyptian invention of the New Kingdom (c. 1550 to 1070 BC). The best-known example is the Papyrus of Hunefer in the British Museum (EA 9901), dated to the 19th Dynasty around 1275 BC. The vignette shows the judgment of the dead with Anubis, Osiris, and the scales of the soul. Equally prominent is the Papyrus of Ani (British Museum EA 10470, c. 1250 BC) with its colorful depictions from Book of the Dead spell 125.
A common misconception: papyrus is not paper in the modern sense. It is not scooped, but laid. Pliny the Elder describes the process in detail in the Naturalis Historia, Book XIII, sections 68 to 89 (written around AD 77). Strips of plant pith are laid crosswise on top of one another and dried under pressure.
Egyptian illustrated papyri in the New Kingdom (1550 to 1070 BC)
In the artisans’ village of Deir el-Medina near Thebes, scribes and draftsmen worked in specialized workshops. They supplied illustrated Books of the Dead for officials and priests. Red iron-ochre pigments were used for titles and divine attributes, black soot for the running text. This two-color logic shaped the visual order of all later papyrus pictures.
Papyrus pictures in Graeco-Roman Egypt (332 BC to AD 641)
After the conquest by Alexander the Great, Egypt remained the main supplier of papyrus throughout the Mediterranean. The Oxyrhynchus Papyri, recovered from 1896 by Bernard Grenfell and Arthur Hunt at Behnesa, include literary, administrative, and illustrated pieces. The Artemidorus Papyrus (1st century BC, now Museo Egizio Turin) contains an early map and animal drawings. Carbonized papyri from the Villa of the Papyri in Herculaneum (buried in AD 79) attest to the spread of illustrated rolls on Italian soil as well.
-
Dimensions: 30 x 20 cm, smoothly cut edge
-
Material: Cyperus papyrus cultivated in the Nile Delta, 100% plant-based binding
-
Manufacture: ancient laying technique, handmade in Egyptian family workshops
-
Date of the model: illustrated papyri attested since the 19th Dynasty (c. 1275 BC)
-
Archaeological comparison object: Book of the Dead of Hunefer, British Museum London, inventory EA 9901
How to create papyrus pictures in secondary-school history classes 2025/2026?
From our work with school classes and museum educators in 2025 and 2026 we know: children immediately sense at first touch that this material is not paper. The visible fiber orientation makes the ancient manufacturing process tangible. A brush with liquid color works better than a felt-tip pen, whose tip otherwise snags in the rough structure. Especially popular is the combination of a genuine papyrus sheet, a reed pen (calamus), and iron gall ink, as used in the Roman provinces.
Our concrete advice for teachers: Before writing or painting, pass the sheet once all the way around the class. Only by feeling the fibers do students get the decisive aha moment. After that, knowledge of writing technology settles at a depth no textbook can achieve.
What are the natural papyrus sheets suitable for in teaching, museums, and projects?
If you are looking for a teaching aid for the Ancient Egypt unit in grades 5 to 7, the 30x20 cm format per student is ideal and can be used immediately with the included A5 craft template of a Graeco-Roman philosopher.
If you are planning a project week on the history of writing in upper secondary school, papyrus forms the middle stage between cuneiform on clay and medieval parchment and can be compared directly with our parchment sheets.
If you work in reenactment or museum education (Limes, Carnuntum, NIDA), the sheets provide sturdy writing supports for Latin letters with calamus and ink, as standard in everyday Egypto-Roman life of the 1st to 3rd centuries.
For history enthusiasts and calligraphers, the 30x20 cm format offers enough space for designed certificates, wedding scrolls, or cards, while remaining handy enough to roll onto an 8 mm wooden rod.
Frequently asked questions about papyrus pictures
Which ink is best for papyrus pictures?
Historically correct are soot ink (atramentum) for black and iron ochre for red, both water-based. For modern use, iron gall ink, India ink, gouache, and watercolor work excellently. Felt-tip pens and ballpoint pens snag in the fiber structure and are not recommended.
Can I print on genuine papyrus with an inkjet printer?
Yes, the sheets offered here with a smoothly cut edge will run through standard inkjet printers. Important: use manual feed and the single-sheet bypass slot. Laser printers are not suitable due to heat fusing.
How can I recognize genuine Egyptian papyrus?
Genuine papyrus shows two clearly cross-laid fiber layers on both front and back. The surface is warm beige to light brown, slightly rough, and has irregular density. Banana-leaf or rice-paper imitations from Asia appear uniformly smooth and have no discernible cross stripes.
How long does papyrus last and how should I store it?
Archaeological finds from Egypt demonstrate durability of over 4,000 years under dry conditions. For papyrus pictures at home: store dark, dry, and flat; do not use PVC sleeves. Roll larger works around a wooden rod of at least 8 mm diameter to avoid creases.
What exactly is the ancient laying technique?
The stalks of the papyrus plant are peeled, the white pith is cut into thin strips and soaked. A first layer is laid parallel, a second at right angles on top, and dried under pressure. The expressed plant sap bonds the layers without any adhesive, a process documented by Pliny the Elder in Naturalis Historia XIII 74 to 82.
Sources and further reading on papyrus pictures
-
Wikipedia: Papyrus (writing material), overview of the plant, manufacture, and writing culture.
-
Archaeological source: Papyrus of Hunefer, British Museum EA 9901, illustrated Book of the Dead of the 19th Dynasty with the scene of the judgment of the dead.
-
Rupprecht, Hans-Albert: Kleine Einführung in die Papyruskunde. Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, Darmstadt 1994. The standard work on papyrology in German. Record in the DAI Zenon Library Catalog.
-
Parkinson, Richard / Quirke, Stephen: Papyrus. British Museum Press, London 1995. First-hand material studies and iconography of ancient papyri.
-
Pliny the Elder: Naturalis Historia, Book XIII, chapters 68 to 89 (written around AD 77). The earliest surviving technical description of papyrus manufacture.
Updated on: 18 April 2026
