Page "Papyrus" Paragraph 5

Papyrus was replaced in Europe by the cheaper, locally produced products parchment and vellum, of significantly higher durability in moist climates, though Henri Pirenne's connection of its disappearance with the Muslim overrunning of Egypt is contended.

Its last appearance in the Merovingian chancery is with a document of 692, though it was known in Gaul until the middle of the following century.

The latest certain dates for the use of papyrus are 1057 for a papal decree ( typically conservative, all papal " bulls " were on papyrus until 1022 ), under Pope Victor II, and 1087 for an Arabic document.

Its use in Egypt continued until it was replaced by more inexpensive paper introduced by Arabs.

Papyrus was documented as in use as late as the 12th century in the Byzantine Empire, but examples have survived.

Although its uses had transferred to parchment, papyrus therefore just overlapped with the use of paper in Europe, which began in the 11th century.