Parchment

Parchment is a special kind of writing material made from the skins of animals like sheep, calves, and goats. These skins are treated in a way that makes them strong and smooth, perfect for writing on. People have been using parchment for over two thousand years, mainly in places like West Asia and Europe.

By around the year 400 AD, many important books and documents that people wanted to keep safe were written on parchment instead of papyrus, which was another writing material made from plants. Parchment lasts longer and stays better over time, which is why it became so popular.

There is a very fine kind of parchment called vellum, made from the skins of very young animals like baby lambs and young calves. It is often used for the most important and beautiful books. Sometimes, libraries and museums use the term "animal membrane" to describe both parchment and vellum, so they don't have to decide which one it is.

Parchment and vellum

Today, the word parchment is often used to talk about any animal skin that has been cleaned and dried, especially from goat, sheep, or cow. Long ago, parchment only meant the skin of sheep or sometimes goats. A finer type made from calfskin was called vellum, coming from an old French word for calf. The very best quality came from the skin of young calves.

Some people in the past tried very hard to keep these names separate. But when looking at old books and papers, it can be hard to tell exactly which animal’s skin was used unless special tests are done. Because of this, the words parchment and vellum are often used interchangeably today. Many experts now prefer to use the general word parchment or the neutral phrase animal membrane when talking about these materials.

History

The word parchment comes from the name of the city of Pergamon. People in Pergamon made a lot of parchment during a time called the Hellenistic period. Some stories say parchment was made there to replace papyrus, which another city, Alexandria, controlled. But parchment was actually used much earlier in places like Anatolia.

Writing on animal skins was common even before Pergamon. The ancient writer Herodotus talked about books made from skins. Civilizations like the Assyrians and Babylonians also used parchment, along with writing on clay tablets.

By around 400 AD, important books started being written on parchment instead of papyrus. Later, in the Middle Ages, paper became cheaper and more common. But very fancy books were still sometimes made on parchment. When printing was invented, some rich people chose parchment over paper for their books. Even though one writer thought paper wouldn’t last as long, many paper books from that time have survived for over 500 years.

Modern use

Parchment, also called vellum, is still used today for special purposes like rituals and important legal documents. In the past, important laws in the United Kingdom were printed on it, and it is still used for covers of official copies of these laws.

During the middle ages, parchment was very popular, but artists started using it again more in the late 1900s. Even though it is still used for some government papers and diplomas, it became less common for artists by the end of the 1400s because it was expensive and had special qualities. Parchment is made mostly of a substance called collagen, which reacts with water in paint to create a smooth surface that some artists like.

Parchment is also sensitive to changes in moisture, which can make it warp. To keep books with parchment pages flat, they were bound with strong wooden boards and kept shut with metal or leather ties. Even after paper became more common, these metal pieces were kept on books as decorative touches.

Manufacture

Parchment is made from animal skin that has been cleaned and treated. First, the skin is removed from an animal and soaked in water for about a day. This helps clean the skin and get it ready for the next step.

Next, the skin goes into a special bath that removes the hair. Long ago, this bath was made from things like old beer, but later it used a substance called lime. The skin stays in this bath for many days, and it is stirred regularly to make sure it works well. After this, the skin is placed on a wooden frame to dry. This stretching helps the skin keep its shape and become smooth and thin.

Treatments

See also: Purple parchment

People used special ways to make parchment look better and work well for writing. They would rub a fine powder called pumice onto the soft side of the parchment while it was still wet. This helped make it smooth and let ink sink in better. They also used pastes made from lime, flour, egg whites, and milk to keep the parchment white and smooth.

Some old books were made with colorful parchment, like purple or green, instead of white. These colorful pages were used for very special and fancy books.

Many ways exist to fix old, torn, or damaged parchment pieces so they can be used again.

Reuse

Main article: Palimpsest

Between the seventh and ninth centuries, many old books written on parchment were cleaned off and used for new writing. Even after cleaning, the old words could sometimes still be seen. These reused books are called palimpsests.

Jewish parchment

See also: Gevil, Klaf, and Duchsustus

The way parchment was made from animal hides changed a lot over time and in different places. In old stories, Moses wrote the first Torah Scroll on a special kind of cow hide called gevil.

Today, some religious Jewish people still use parchment for important things like Torah scrolls, tefillin, and mezuzahs. This tradition comes from very old practices, and there are special names for different kinds of parchment, like gevil and klaf. Only hides from certain animals are used, and the process is carefully watched by a qualified religious leader.

Additional uses of the term

In some universities, the word parchment is still used to describe the certificate given at graduation, even though the modern document is printed on paper or thin card. Some doctoral graduates may choose to have their certificate written on special material by a calligrapher.

Plant-based parchment

See also: Parchment paper (baking)

Vegetable (paper) parchment is made by treating a special kind of paper with sulfuric acid. This process changes the paper so it can resist grease and let light pass through it partially. Other methods, like coating the paper with wax or special chemicals, can also make paper resist grease. Some treatments, like using silicone, make the paper very heat-resistant and good at preventing things from sticking to it.

Parchment craft

People in Europe began creating parchment craft during the fifteenth or sixteenth centuries. At first, it was mostly done in Catholic communities, where artists made beautiful lace-like pictures and special cards for religious events. Over time, new ways to make parchment crafts were invented.

Even though printing became popular later, people still loved making handmade parchment items. By the 1800s, crafts included flowers, cute little angels, and special designs pressed into the parchment. Today, parchment craft is used to make cards, scrapbook decorations, bookmarks, lampshades, small boxes, wall hangings, and many other beautiful things.

Technical analysis

Scientists use special tools to find out how old pieces of parchment are. These tools can tell us about when the animal skin was prepared, but not when the writing was added. It is very hard to find out about the ink because there is only a tiny bit on the parchment.

Researchers have studied the DNA from old books made of parchment. By looking at the DNA, they can learn about the animals used to make the parchment and even guess where the animals came from. Some old Greek books were made from goat skin. In 2020, scientists discovered they could identify the exact animals used for the Dead Sea Scrolls by studying their whole DNA.