Then, from around 770 BC to the 4th century AD, where did all contemporary foreign civilizations write their words? The following are exclusive objects used by different civilizations in Europe and Asia to make "paper" at that time.
1, papyrus
After being beaten behind in the late Qing Dynasty, many "masters" who admired foreign civilization began to question China's papermaking, and even regarded Egyptian papyrus as the source of papermaking. But people who hold this view basically don't understand what papyrus is.
In fact, papyrus, which was born in ancient Egypt and spread in China during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, is not "paper", but a thin slice made by cutting the stems of papyrus into thin slices and soaking them, and then uniformly beating them. Papermaking is completely different from China. However, this papyrus can be preserved in a dry environment and its price is relatively cheap, so it not only records many important events of Egyptian civilization, but also is an important export commodity of ancient Egypt. Even the magnificent Roman church used papyrus to write documents, which shows its popularity.
However, in the 9th century AD, Arabs learned papermaking from China, and completely squeezed papyrus with cheaper and better paper. Even Egypt itself was once hard to find. The method of making papyrus paper was once lost. It was not until modern times that Egyptians resumed the method of making papyrus. But this ancient "paper", after all, has preserved a large number of ancient Egyptian documents because of its durability in dry environment. We can see the face of Egyptian civilization today, and we really want to thank it.
2. Palm leaves
As two ancient civilizations, when Egyptians used sedge as "paper" again, Indians chose a leaf: palm leaf.
Bay palm is an evergreen tree that grows in India and Southeast Asia, and is also widely planted in Xishuangbanna, China. Its half-moon leaves, two meters high, are good materials for writing records. Nature also entered the field of vision of ancient Indians.
However, such leaves, of course, will not be written directly. At the same time as the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period in China, Indians had a complete processing method: fresh scallops and lemons were boiled in a pot, dried and then they could write. However, Indians don't write like this in China. Instead, use an iron pen to carve words on the laurel leaves, and then brush them with ink after carving, so that the words can be preserved for a long time. This special function of laurel leaves has also become a treasure of ancient India, and even the gifts given by Indian nobles are for laurel leaves.
And with the spread of Buddhism, India's "Bayeux writing" also spread to Southeast Asia. For example, Buddhism in the southwest of China and even in Myanmar, Thailand, was originally spread by Buddhist scriptures carved on Bayeux leaves, and has flourished since then. With the spread of Buddhism, palm leaves are also widely planted in temples in Southeast Asia. Some Bayeux Sutra engraved on Bayeux can be preserved for more than a hundred years. Bayeux has also become an extremely sacred cultural symbol among the people of all ethnic groups in Southeast Asia. Thanks to this special "paper", Southeast Asian culture also has a title: green leaf culture.
Of course, after this Bayeux was introduced to China, it was conquered by the local paper in China. Since the invention of papermaking, ancient Buddhist classics have also been preserved through paper documents. From the perspective of the spread and protection of civilization, the value of China paper is far greater than that of Indian palm leaves.
3. Parchment
Compared with papyrus and palm leaves, it was once considered as a paper object, but the biggest difference between it and paper is parchment.
Among all kinds of foreign "paper", parchment is a very young one. It was first born in the era of Pagama civilization, developed into papyrus in ancient Egypt, and then spread in Persia, Greece, Rome and other places. But as far as its material is concerned, it is far from other "papers": it is not made of plants at all, but sheepskin is soaked in lime water to remove its hair fat, and then stretched with a wooden frame to become "paper" that can be used for writing.
But referring to the economic situation in ancient Europe, we know that this is not paper, but clearly written directly on sheepskin. To write a book, you basically need one or even several sheep. This is a luxury that only the rich can afford. Therefore, since the 2nd century AD, parchment has been widely spread in Europe, and books on knowledge and culture are basically the patents of the ruling class. Books made of parchment are only in the hands of dignified church priests. The so-called "dark medieval Europe" has the "contribution" of this luxurious parchment.
Knowing this extreme monopoly, it is not difficult to understand why China's papermaking immediately caused a sensation in the European continent after landing in Europe. Even before the17th century, Europeans only mastered papermaking and made rough and difficult papyrus paper, but it still could not stop the vigorous development of papermaking in the European continent. Because paper, a writing carrier that condenses the wisdom of China people, has truly subverted the century-old reading concept of Europeans and given people of all walks of life equal opportunities to learn culture. China's papermaking was an accelerator for the blowout of modern western civilization.
The progress of civilization is always the progress of spreading civilization. From ancient papermaking to today's chips, the significance of core technology to national development can be said to come down in one continuous line. A thin paper industry has witnessed the wisdom of ancient people in China, leading the world, and their pride is worth inheriting.