Papyrus was first used around 4,000BC and it became one of Egypt’s major exports. It was produced under a state monopoly, with the production process kept a closely guarded secret.

Unlike paper, which is made of pulped plant fibres, papyrus is made from thinly-cut strips of the stalks of the papyrus reed, soaked for three days until clear. The strips are laid on linen cloth, first horizontally, then vertically. They are stacked up and then weighted down to dry in the sun.

When paper was invented in China in AD 105, papyrus production came to a stop. In 1965, an Egyptian scientist rediscovered the secret of making it.