The hieroglyph for a closed papyrus roll was drawn either horizontally or vertically.
Image Source: commons.wikimedia.org
The hieroglyph for a closed papyrus roll was drawn either horizontally or vertically.
Detail map of Giza Governorate, Egypt Overview map of Giza Governorate, Egypt

A: Giza Governorate, Egypt

The Oldest Known Papyrus Roll - Blank

Circa 2900 BCE
In this painting of Isis dating from 1360 BCE we see the hieroglyph for a closed papyrus roll directly to the right of the face of the goddess.
Image Source: commons.wikimedia.org
In this painting of Isis dating from 1360 BCE we see the hieroglyph for a closed papyrus roll directly to the right of the face of the goddess.

The hieroglyphic name of Hemaka, highlighted in red.

"The ancient Egyptians had used rolls made of papyrus from the early days of the Old Kingdom. The oldest known papyrus roll was found in the tomb of Hemaka in Saqqara, and dates to the 1st dynasty, around 2900 BC. The hieroglyph for 'papyrus roll' existed already in inscriptions from this period. The 1st dynasty roll was blank; the oldest examples with writing dated from the 4th and 5th dynasties" (Roemer, "The Papyrus Roll in Egypt, Greece, and Rome," Eliot & Rose (eds) A Companion to the History of the Book [2007] 84).

Timeline Themes

Book History before 450 CE
Papyrus / Wax Tablets / Parchment / Vellum / Bamboo / Silk