3874 entries. Last updated May 21, 2013.

Paper / Papyrus / Parchment / Vellum Timeline Outline

  • Eras
  • Themes

8,000 BCE – 1,000 BCE

The Word Bibliography is Derived from a Greek Word for Papyrus
(Circa 3,100 BCE – 3,050 BCE)

The hieroglyphic name of Hemaka, highlighted in red.
The Oldest Known Papyrus Roll - Blank
(Circa 2,900 BCE)

The Earliest Known Egyptian Papyri
(2,500 BCE)

A section of the Prisse Papyrus, which is believed to be the earliest known document written on papyrus. (View Larger)
One of the Earliest Surviving Documents Written on Papyrus
(Circa 2,000 BCE)

One of the Earliest Medical and Mathematical Documents
(Circa 2,000 BCE)

The Oldest Surgical Treatise
(Circa 1,600 BCE)

A papyrus of the 'Discourse of the Gods' section of the Great Harris Papyrus, showing Ramesses III before the Triad of Thebes. (View Larger)
The Longest Known Egyptian Papyrus
(Circa 1,186 BCE – 1,155 BCE)

1,000 BCE – 300 BCE

Achilles
The "Fatal Letter" in the Iliad
(Circa 750 BCE)

Paper in Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica
(Circa 500 BCE)

One of the earliest surviving images of anyone reading a papyrus roll, preserved in the Louvre. (View Larger)
One of the Earliest Images of Someone Reading a Papyrus Roll
(440 BCE – 435 BCE)

300 BCE – 30 CE

The Royal Library of Alexandria: The Largest Collection of Recorded Information…
(Circa 300 BCE)

A "Wild" or "Eccentric" Papyrus of the Iliad
(Circa 275 BCE)

An example of Lishu, or Clerkly Script, developed by Chinese Bureaucrats to be written with a brush.
Writing on Bamboo and Silk
(Circa 250 BCE)

The ruins of the Library.
The Library of Pergamum (Pergamon)
(197 BCE – 159 BCE)

The Roman Tabularium. (View Larger)
The Tabularium, Archives of Republican Rome, is Founded
(Circa 78 BCE)

30 CE – 500 CE

A fresco of a Pompein couple with stylus, wax tablets, and papyrus scroll, preserved in the Museuo Archeologico Nazionale. (View Larger)
Roman Portraits Celebrating Literacy
(Circa 75 CE)

Papyrus recovered from the Villa of the Papyri
The Only Library Preserved Intact from Roman Times
(79 CE)

Figure nine from Clark's 'The Care of Books,' depicting a Roman reader with his scroll. (View Larger)
The Characteristics of Roman Papyrus Rolls
(Circa 80 CE)

The recto side of the Saint John Fragment. (View Larger)
The Earliest Known Fragment of the New Testament
(Circa 100 CE – 150 CE)

The fragment of De Bellis Macedonicis, the oldest suriving remains of a Latin manuscreipt written on parchment rather than papyrus. (View Larger)
The Sole Surviving Example of Roman Literary Cursive script and the Earliest…
(Circa 100 CE)

Vindolanda Tablet 309, an inventory of wooden goods dispatched dispatched by and to civilians working for the military. (View Larger, with translation.)
The Oldest Surviving Handwritten Documents in Britain
(Circa 100 CE)

Ts'ai Lun
The Invention of Paper in China
(105 CE)

The Yale Musical Papyrus. (View Larger)
Ancient Greek Songs
(Circa 125 CE)

The Michigan Instrumental Papyrus. (View Larger)
Ancient Musical Notation
(Circa 125 CE)

Several of the leather-bound codices of the Nag Hammadi Library. (View Larger)
The Form of the Manuscript Book Gradually Shifts from the Roll to the Codex
(Circa 150 CE – 450 CE)

The Transition from Papyrus to Parchment
(Circa 300 CE – 700)

The Johnson Papyrus, a fragment of an early fifth century herbal. (View Larger)
The Oldest Extant Book Illustrations of Plants
(Circa 400 CE)

A Diptych Depicting Roman Orators Holding Papyrus Rolls
(Circa 400 CE)

The Durability of Papyrus
(Circa 400 CE)

The Smallest Codex Known from Antiquity
(Circa 450 CE)

500 CE – 600

A color plate from Bordier's paleographic study comparing the two separated portions of one of hte earliest suriviving European papyrus codices.
Among the Earliest Surviving European Papyrus Codices
(Circa 550)

600 – 700

During the Middle Ages Book Production is Concentrated in Monasteries
(Circa 610 – 1200)

A wooden wax tablet with bronze stylus and eraser, originating from Egpyt circa 600. (View Larger)
During the Middle Ages Wax Tablets Are Widely Used
(Circa 610)

Canon 22 of the Council of Nicea II (British Museum, MS Barocci 26, fol. 140b), where the top is written in minuscule and the bottom in unical.(View Larger)
Arab Conquest of Egypt Resulted in Smaller Exports of Papyrus-- A Probable…
(641)

The Oldest Surviving Arabic Papyrus
(642)

Continuing Use of Papyrus through the Eleventh Century
(677 – 1100)

The Oldest Surviving Block Printing from Korea?
(Circa 690 – 751)

700 – 800

The First State Libraries in Japan
(702)

A map of the Silk Road. (View Larger)
Chinese Prisoners of War Convey Papermaking Techniques to the Arabs
(751)

One of one million pagodas commissioned by Empress Shotuku, containing Bhuddhist charms, or dhrani scrolls. (View Larger
One Million Copies Printed
(764 – 770)

Papermaking is Established in Baghdad
(793)

800 – 900

A page from the Uspensky Gospels. (View Larger)
The Earliest Surviving Dated Manuscript Written in Greek Minuscule
(815 – 835)

The Oldest Surviving Manuscript on Arabic Paper
(Circa 825)

The Oldest Complete Dated Book in Arabic Written on Paper
(848)

Folio 241b of MS Leiden Or. 298, a manuscript of the 'Gharib al-Hadith' by Abu `Ubayd al-Qasim b. Sallam. (View Larger)
The Oldest Arabic Manuscript on Arabic Paper Preserved in Europe
(November – December 867)

The Earliest-Known Manuscript of the Arabian Nights
(October 20, 879)

900 – 1000

Muslim Countries Adopt Paper but Not Printing
(Circa 980)

1000 – 1100

Perhaps the Earliest Recycling of Paper
(1031)

Page 74 of the Dresden Codex, depicting a great flood, flowing from the mouth of a celestial dragon. This represents the Central American notion of apocolypse. (View Larger)
The Earliest Surviving Book Written in the Americas
(Circa 1050 – 1150)

Pope Victor II.
The Latest Certain Dates for the Use of Papyrus
(1057 – 1087)

1100 – 1200

Xativa, Spain, highlighted in blue. (View Larger)
Papermaking Reaches the Moorish Parts of Spain
(Circa 1100 – 1151)

The Earliest Extant Document from Europe Written on Paper
(1109)

At Martorana in Palermo, Italy, a mural depicting the divine coronation of Roger II. (View Larger)
King Roger Bans the Use of Paper
(1145)

The First Paper Mill in Al-Andalus
(1150)

The First Use of Paper in Italy
(1154)

1200 – 1300

First Recorded Issue of Paper Money in the Mongol Empire
(1224 – 1227)

The Earliest Known Classical Latin Piece Written on Paper
(Circa 1225)

From his book, De arte venandi cum avibus (The art of hunting with birds), a portrait of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, flanked by a falcon. (View Larger)
Banning the Use of Paper for Legal Documents
(1231)

The First Record of a Chinese Printed Seal in Europe
(1245)

The Earliest Surviving German Document Written on Paper
(1246 – 1247)

What remains of an early Fabriano paper mill. (View Larger)
The First Paper Mills in Italy
(1279)

1300 – 1400

First Recorded Use of Paper in England
(1309)

The Earliest Use of Paper Money in Japan
(1319 – 1327)

First Use of Paper in Holland
(1322)

Troyes, France. (View Larger)
Perhaps the First Paper Mill in France
(1348)

A view of Nuremberg--folio 99v/100r of the Nuremberg Chronicles--showing Stromer's paper mill, bordering the city on the bottom right. (View Larger)
Earliest European Document on the Production of Paper
(1390)

1400 – 1450

From About 1440 -1470 the Production of Manuscript Books Increased; From 1471 to 1490, with the Increase of Printed Book Production, Manuscript Book Production Declined
(Circa 1440 – 1475)

1450 – 1500

Gutenberg's Last Production? An Early Form of Stereotyping?
(1460 – 1469)

The Nuremberg Chronicle
(June 12 – December 23, 1493)

The Best Medium for Long Term Information Storage
(1494)

The First English Book Printed on Paper Made in England
(1495 – 1496)

1550 – 1600

Images of Trades and Technologies
(1568)

1650 – 1700

Laws of Book Production and the Book Trade
(1675)

The First Paper Mill in the United States
(1690)

There Are 150 Paper Mills in England
(1699)

1750 – 1800

The Central Enterprise of the French Enlightenment
(1751 – 1780)

The First Discovery of Ancient Papyri in Europe
(October 19, 1752 – 1754)

A Typographic Masterpiece, & the First Book Printed Partially on Wove Paper
(May 5, 1757)

The First Book Printed Entirely on Wove Paper
(October 6, 1759 – 1760)

The First Comprehensive Treatise on Papermaking
(1761)

"The Most Interesting and Rarest Work" on Papermaking
(January 30, 1765 – 1771)

The First English History of Paleography and Diplomatics
(1784)

The Beginnings of Papyrology
(1788)

The First Papermaking Machine
(1798 – 1801)

The Introduction of Bleach in Paper Production
(1798 – 1799)

1800 – 1850

The First Patent for Paper Recycling
(April 28, 1800)

The First Book Printed on Recycled Paper, with an Appendix Printed on Paper Made from Wood Pulp
(1801)

Fourdrinier Machines for Paper Manufacture
(1804 – 1807)

Invention of Carbon Paper
(1806)

Machine Manufacturing of Paper in Separate Sheets
(1807 – 1812)

The Dickinson Cylinder-Mould Papermaking Machine
(1809)

185 Paper Mills in the U.S.
(1810)

Detailed Patent for the Endless Chain-Mould Papermaking Machine
(1812)

Manual of Lithography, Bookbinding, and Cleaning and Restoring Paper
(1818 – 1824)

Machine-Made Paper Exceeds the Production of Hand-Made Paper
(Circa 1820)

Invention of the Dandy-Roll in Machine Papermaking
(1825)

The Penny Magazine
(1832 – 1845)

Papermaking from Wood Pulp Rediscovered & Industrialized
(October 26, 1844 – August 1845)

The First Book on the Restoration of Rare Books and their Bindings
(1846)

1850 – 1875

Production of Mummy Paper in Nineteenth Century America
(1855)

100,000 Tons of Paper, Only 4% Made by Hand
(1860)

The Sulfite Pulping Process for Manufacturing Paper
(1866)

Spectacular Portrayal of One of the Largest 19th Century Book Manufacturers
(1867)

The Times of London Prints on Continuous Paper, Increasing Production
(1868)

"Poisonous Papers," and a Poisonous Book Published in an Edition of 100 Copies
(1873 – 1874)

1875 – 1900

The Caxton Quadricentennial Celebration: Probably the Largest Exhibition on the History of Printing Ever Held
(June 30 – September 1, 1877)

The Questionable Quality of Paper
(1898)

1900 – 1910

652,000 Tons of Paper Produced in the U.K.
(1900)

1910 – 1920

"Die Brucke" and its Goals for a World Information Clearing House
(June 11, 1911 – 1913)

1950 – 1960

Longevity of Paper is a Function of its Acidity or Alkalinity
(Circa 1958)

1980 – 1990

Sun Microsystems Announces its First Workstation
(February 24, 1982)

Australia Issues the First Polymer Banknote ($10)
(January 1988)

1990 – 2000

126,000,000 Metric Tons of Paper Consumed
(1997)

Electronic Paper by E Ink Corporation
(1997)

The Average Person Receives 733 Pieces of Paper Mail Each Year, Half of Which is Junk
(1998)

Computers Have Not Caused a Reduction in Paper Usage or Printing
(1999)

Continuing to Print the British Parliamentary Papers on Vellum
(November 2, 1999)

2000 – 2005

Double Fold: Libraries and the Assault on Paper
(April 2001)

2005 – 2010

'Material Degradomics" or, The Sniff Test
(September 17, 2009)

2010 – 2011

Paperbecause.com Makes the Case for Using Paper
(October 27, 2010)

2011 – 2013

Gelatin and Calcium in the Earliest Paper Was Responsible for its Longevity
(January 2012)