Greco-Roman Papyrus, 250-270 CE

Greco-Roman papyrus - marriage contract of 250-270 CE

Greco-Roman papyrus marriage contract, c. 260 CE. This contract has been wriiten in Greek though it was brought back to the United Kingdom by the Egypt Exploration Society before being donated to the museum in 1921. Papyrus (Cyperus papyrus) or byblos (in Greek ) is a plant of the sedge family with a pithy stem. The stems were prepared by being cut into strips and laid down side by side. Another layer of strips was placed across the first. The layers were meshed and bonded together to produce a surface for writing and drawing. Papyrus was widely used throughout the ancient Mediterranean world until the introduction of paper in the 8th century CE.