n
the outside of the roll, grading down to the worst at the other end.
This was done for two reasons: first, in order that the best material
should come where it would receive the most wear, and secondly in order
that in case the roll was not entirely used the waste part should be of
inferior quality. Papyrus continued to be used as the general writing
material of the civilized world until about the time of Christ, and held
its place for certain purposes until the 11th century, at which period
we find it still used for Papal Bulls and other important documents. It
was revived in Egypt by the Copts, as the people of Egypt were then
called, in the 7th century and was used by them extensively until the
middle of the 13th.

[Illustration: Parchment-roll, or volumen. (Our word volume comes from
volumen.)]

From very early ages, leather was more or less used as writing material,
but in the 2nd century B.C., owing, it is said, to the scarcity and high
price of papyrus, Eumenes II, King of Pergamus, a city of Asia Minor,
invented or caused to be invented, a writing material made of dressed
skins. These skins were not tanned but were dressed by another method
which left them flexible but gave them a smooth hard surface which could
be easily written on. This material was called, from the name of the
city, _pergamena_, from which we get our "parchment." This term is now
practically reserved for sheepskins which are harder than other skins
used for the purpose. Parchment was long used for legal documents and is
still used for college diplomas and other similar purposes. The general
term, however, for this type of writing material, which was made from a
variety of skins, is vellum. Vellum, of course, came in sheets, and
while a single sheet might be rolled as diplomas are to this day rolled
for delivery, it was ordinarily used in the sheet form and played an
important part in the development of the book.

In the manufacture of vellum the skins of a variety of the smaller
animals were used. For example, the famous Alexandrian codex, one of the
oldest known copies of the Bible, is written on antelope skin. The skin
was first carefully cleaned and the hair removed by soaking in a
solution of lye. It was then thoroughly scraped with a knife to remove
all fatty or soft parts. It was then rubbed down with pumice stone.
Finally it was polished with agate.

Paper is said to have been invented by the Chinese at an unknown but
very e