Papyrus is the material that is made from the fibers of reeds that grown on the banks of the Nile River. It was manufactured as early as the first Egyptian Dynasty, circa 3,000. The Egyptians used papyrus for 4,000 years. “Ground paper” eventually replaced papyrus for economic reasons, although manufacturing of papyrus continued until the end of the 11th century. Today it is still manufactured on a small scale, and primarily for art!