Syt Papyrus, Or Papyrus

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Syt papyrus, or Papyrus (lat. Cyperus papyrus) - a tall perennial herb of the genus Syt (Latin Cyperus) of the Sedge family (Latin Cyperaceae). Its practically leafless shoots were used by the Egyptians long before our era for the production of writing material of the same name. Since such production was carried out only in Egypt, the marsh plant Syt Papyrus, or rather the Papyrus, has become a symbol of Egypt, existing from ancient times to the present day. Although Papyrus later appeared in other countries, it is still associated with Egypt today. Today, souvenir sellers in Egypt offer tourists to purchase various crafts and scrolls from Papyrus.

What's in your name

In ancient Egypt, this plant had a different name. The name "Papyrus" was born later. There are several versions of its origin, two of which are based on two different Egyptian (not to be confused with Arabic) words with consonant pronunciation.

One word sounded like "papiur" and meant "Nile" in translation. The second word sounded like "papuro" and belonged to the Copts (the first Christians in Egypt), and in translation meant "what belongs to the king." Considering that Copts appeared later than the Nile, then the first version, proposed by the Russian Egyptologist, Boris Alexandrovich Turaev (1868 - 1920), seems closer to the truth.

In addition to the two main names of the plant, there are others. One of them emphasizes the plant's membership in the Sedge family and sounds like "Papyrus sedge". Another compares the papyrus to a plant very similar to it, the Reed, and therefore sounds like "paper cane."

Description

Although the Papyrus is sometimes referred to as "The Paper Cane," there are far more differences than similarities between the two. They are similar in their large size, which baffle people who first learn that both plants belong to the herbaceous representatives of the plant world.

Papyrus, a swampy plant, has a powerful, thick rhizome that resembles a tree trunk. From the rhizome, from scaly brown sheaths formed by underdeveloped leaves, tall, strong, rapidly growing stems appear on the surface of the earth. The height of the plant varies from 4 to 5 meters, not inferior in this to the Reed. The crown of a strong stem is a dense accumulation of bright green thin stems, similar at a young age to a feathery panicle. The section of the stem is triangular. The core of the shoots was used by the Egyptians for food, raw or processed.

Although Papyrus is considered a leafless plant, it does have leaves. These are the same red-brown triangular scales that form brown sheaths for the birth of stems, and also young parts of the rhizome are covered with such underdeveloped scaly leaves.

At the end of summer, greenish-brown inflorescences are born at the ends of the filamentous stems, which then turn into brown fruits, similar to nuts.

Usage

The papyrus, considered in Egypt as the "gift of the Nile", is a versatile plant.

In addition to the fact that people used the plant as a food product, as well as a medicine, a lot of household things were made from Papyrus: they made sandals, weaved rugs and baskets, made thin writing material, and also made durable light boats.

The famous traveler and writer, Thor Heyerdahl, using the experience of ancient sailors, on a boat built of papyrus, sailed from the coast of Africa to the coast of the American continent. With his experience, he showed the ability of the ancient Egyptians to travel to America. Maybe that's why so many similar monuments were left to Mankind by the ancient civilizations of two continents far from each other.