What plant-based material did Egyptians write on?

The story behind the answer

Papyrus is correct: ancient Egyptians made writing sheets from the Cyperus papyrus plant that grew along the Nile. They sliced the plant’s pith into strips, laid them in crisscross layers, pressed and dried them to form durable pages, then glued sheets into scrolls. Papyrus was used for everything from government records to literature and religious texts like the Book of the Dead, and Egypt’s dry climate helped preserve many examples.

To avoid confusion: reeds were typically used as pens, bamboo didn’t grow in Egypt, and lotus leaves were sacred symbols, not writing material. Memory tip: Papyrus sounds like “paper”—and it’s the ancestor of our word “paper,” linking Egypt directly to the history of writing.