Papyrus is an ancient form of paper, made from the papyrus plant, which is a reed that naturally grows wild on the banks of the Nile river. The modern word 'paper' has come from the word 'Papyrus'.

Papyrus is considered by many to be the first form of paper ever produced by humans and with modern methods of paper making being derived from the original paper making technique used to produce Papyrus.

The Egyptians cultivated papyrus for paper-making. The fibrous pith of the papyrus plant was torn into narrow strips and soaked in water before being laid together in two layers crossed-over at right angles. This was then beaten and dried to form a sheet of papyrus paper, later is was polished to form a smooth surface.

Further manufacturing and trimming may also occur where by a long papyrus sheet would be manufactured into a formal scroll. Papyrus scrolls where used to present important and historical documents and many still exist today discovered in ancient tombs and caves.