Theophrastus' History of Plants (Book iv. Cyperus papyrus is now used mainly for decoration, as it is nearly extinct in its native habitat in the Nile Delta, where in ancient times it was widely cultivated. Its name in Greek and in English is widely believed to have come from Egyptian. Papyrus was an important, "Gift of the Nile" which is still preserved and perpetuated in the Egyptian culture.Įgyptians used the plant (which they called aaru) for many purposes, most famously for making papyrus. Egyptians made efficient use of the entire plant. The woody root was used to create bowls and different utensils, and was also burned for fuel. In Ancient Egypt, papyrus was used for various of purposes such as baskets, sandals, blankets, medicine, incense, and boats. The papyrus plant is relatively easy to grow from seed, though in Egypt, it is more common to split the rootstock, and grows quite fast once established. Botanically, these represent reduced leaves, so strictly it is not quite correct to call this plant fully "leafless". The younger parts of the rhizome are covered by red-brown, papery, triangular scales, which also cover the base of the culms. Greenish-brown flower clusters eventually appear at the ends of the rays, giving way to brown, nut-like fruits. Each stem is topped by a dense cluster of thin, bright green, thread-like stems around 10 to 30 cm (4 to 10 in) in length, resembling a feather duster when the plant is young. It forms a grass-like clump of triangular green stems that rise up from thick, woody rhizomes. This tall, robust, leafless aquatic plant can grow 4 to 5 m (13 to 16 ft) high. papyrus 'Nanus' have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. In nature, it grows in full sun, in flooded swamps, and on lake margins throughout Africa, Madagascar, and the Mediterranean countries.Ĭ. It is now often cultivated as an ornamental plant. Parts of the plant can be eaten, and the highly buoyant stems can be made into boats. Papyrus sedge (and its close relatives) has a very long history of use by humans, notably by the Ancient Egyptians-it is the source of papyrus paper, one of the first types of paper ever made. It is a tender herbaceous perennial, native to Africa, and forms tall stands of reed-like swamp vegetation in shallow water. The pharaohs prided themselves on their pleasure boats with multiple decks containing cabins, kitchens, dining rooms and lounges.Papyrus Sedge, Paper Reed Seeds (Cyperus papyrus) Price for Package of 10 seeds.Ĭyperus papyrus (papyrus sedge, paper reed, Indian matting plant, Nile grass) is a species of aquatic flowering plant belonging to the sedge family Cyperaceae. They were about 25 metres long, two to three metres wide and about sixty centimetres deep, seating 30 rowers. They are a great white, ‘ghostly’ fleet of 14 boats. The Abydos boats were discovered in 2000. Some believe it was for the king to use in his afterlife. It is a good example of papyri from a boat. The world’s oldest boat is found in the pyramid of King Khufu. Cedar was important as a boat building material. These Egyptian boats were made of either native woods or conifers from Lebanon. The earliest record of a ship under sail is depicted on an Egyptian pot dating back to 3200BC. Model boats for the symbolic journey of the sun god were also found. When this became expensive, models of boats were buried. The elegant Funeral boats were used to carry the dead across Nile river. Sailboats were also in use which had one square sail. These boats were made of bundles of bound papyrus reeds, and were lashed together into a long thin hull form in the style of a slight crescent. Papyrus boats were used for daily activities like hunting or religious ceremonies. The third type of boat was the papyri from the boat. Eventually, stronger wooden boats were used for lengthy ocean excursions as well as to transport boulder blocks weighing many tons. Simple reed rafts were used mostly for hunting in marshes. Mainly three types of Egyptian boats for different purposes were made in ancient Egypt. For Egyptians, both building and rowing a boat were not easy jobs. Ships and Egyptian Boats were built for fishing, trade, transportation, processions and travel.Īgricultural produce, troops, cattle, stone and funeral processions were all carried on the Nile and its canals. Need for an efficient navy was recognized by Pharaohs like Senefru who had a fleet of 40 ships. The Nile provided an excellent means of transport and every corner of the city could be reached by boats. Ancient Egyptians pioneered the development of river craft and various types of Egyptian Boats and ships were built.
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