Papyrus manuscript: Graeco-Egyptian

Part of a contract of partnership, Egypt, 3rd century A.D. It reads: '...the grant is of half the interest accruing on the goods sold ...'.

The papyrus writing material was prepared from the pith of the reed: the fibrous sticky pith is cut into lengths of about 40cm, placed side by side and another layer placed at right angles over this. These two layers are then beaten until they mesh together, dried under pressure and finally polished with a stone. Finally a fine coating might be applied depending on the expected use of the finished writing material. This coating was of fine flour, water and vinegar.

Papyrus was brittle but could be cut to make books in the modern way; sheets could alternatively be joined together and scrolls formed, though this could be very bulky for large texts.

Papyrus was stable in the dry climate of Egypt and its use there continued for thousands of years, not being phased out until the introduction of paper by the Arabs. In Europe and in colder, damper climates, parchment made from animal skins was used as it was more durable. Papyrus was last used in western Europe in 1057 AD for a papal bull. This overlapped with the recent development in the west of paper and its increasingly widespread production.

In Egypt at the time this fragment of papyrus was written, there were three main languages: Latin used by the Roman administrators, military and justice system, Greek used for business and by those who had Greek heredity and the native Egyptian. The manuscript contract may not have been written by any of the partners to the business contract but more likely by business agents, stewards or assistants employed for this task. For the common folk of the town and countryside there were public scribes to write letters or other pieces, and translators or readers to interpret the written page for the recipient.

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