What did the ancient Egyptians ever do for us?

In ancient Egypt, people used a plant called papyrus (Cyperus papyrus Linneaus) to make a form of paper. It was used throughout Egyptian history until the early Islamic period when it was gradually disused in favour of paper closer to how we know it.^1,2

Papyrus is a tall, reed-like plant that grows in marshy areas along the Nile River. While the actual techniques used to process was generally described by the Roman philosopher Pliny the Elder,³ a lot of experimental archaeology has been done to reconstruct the process in more detail.⁴ The Egyptians cut the bottom part of the stem into a length between 20 and 30 centimetres. This was cut into thin strips and laid out side by side. Then, they placed another layer of strips on top of the first layer, but perpendicular to it. They repeated this process until they had a sheet of papyrus that was the desired size. Finally, they would pound the sheets with a mallet to create a flat, even surface. A natural sap in the plant would help fuse the strips together.⁵

Papyrus paper was used for many things, including writing, painting, clothing and baskets. The Egyptians were skilled in using ink to create intricate designs on the papyrus paper, which they would then roll up and store in a scroll. The invention of papyrus was an important development for writing and record-keeping. Before this, people had to rely on materials such as stone or clay tablets. Papyrus was much lighter and easier to transport. 

The earliest example of papyrus in ancient Egypt comes from the Early Dynastic Tomb of Hemaka at Saqqara, dated to approximately 3100 BC. In this tomb a small wooden box with a flattened role of blank papyrus was found.⁶

Today, while we use a variety of different materials for paper, the word "paper" itself still comes from the ancient Greek word "papyros," which referred to the Egyptian papyrus plant.⁷ So even though we might not use papyrus paper in our daily lives, the legacy of ancient Egypt lives on in the language we use.

The origin of paper as we know it is thought to come from China, and is traditionally attributed to Cai Lun, an official at the Chinese Imperial Court of the Han Dynasty, about 1800 years ago. However, our earliest evidence of paper comes from a fragment of a map found in a tomb in Fangmatan, Gansu Provence, China and is thought to date from about 2100 years ago in the early Western Han Dynasty.⁸

^{Papyrus reeds}

The ancient Egyptians were known for their hygiene and dental practices. They believed that keeping their teeth clean and healthy was an important part of maintaining overall health. It was also necessary as examination of teeth from ancient Egyptians has shown a lot of wear on the teeth, due to the introduction of sand or small stones into the milling of wheat into flour, either accidentally or to aid the grinding process.¹¹ When the flour was eaten as bread or other food products, the grit caused the teeth to wear or crack.¹²

The use of toothpaste was not limited to just the wealthy or elite. In fact, evidence suggests that toothpaste was used by people from all social classes in ancient Egypt.

One of the main ingredients in ancient Egyptian toothpaste was a substance called natron, which is a naturally occurring mixture of sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate.¹³ The Egyptians would mix natron with other substances like salt, pepper, mint leaves, iris flowers, and myrrh to create a paste-like substance that could be used for cleaning their teeth.¹⁴ Today, toothpaste is made from a much wider range of materials, including fluoride to help prevent tooth decay and various flavors to make it more appealing. But the origins of toothpaste can be traced back to ancient Egypt and their innovative use of natron and other natural substances to keep their teeth clean and healthy.

^{The inner crater (caldera) of Mount Emi Koussi (Tibesti, Chad). Mineral precipitation (natron) on the ground is visible. Photographed by Stefan Thüngen}

Pyramid
The word "pyramid" actually comes from the Greek word "pyramis", which was used to describe the shape of these structures. The hieroglyphic transliteration for pyramid for is “mr”. The Greeks borrowed the word from the Egyptian word "per-em-us", which means "house of eternity".

Gum
Not related to gum as you may know it, the word “gum” in English originally referred to the sap of trees. The ancient Egyptians also knew it for this and referred to it as “qmyt”, and chewed it on its own as well as using it as a flavoring in food.

Ebony
The word for this tree is derived from the ancient Egyptian word "hbny", which had the same meaning.

Susan
The name Susan, or Susana, comes from the word "sšn" meaning “lotus flower”.