Make a Papyrus Name Scroll
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This is hands-on activity combines ancient history with art and language. If you can’t obtain papyrus, you can use the same ideas here with a piece of cardstock, perhaps tan or pale orange, and make a bookmark with your name in heiroglyphs, instead of a scroll.
In ancient Egypt,
papyrus (an early form of paper) was used for many things, for making houses, boats, and the first portable documents. Papyrus was a valuable resource and a major export. Ancient Egypt was a papyrus culture!
Making papyrus is a 5,000 year old tradition. This video shows how papyrus is still made today.
Papyrus is brittle, and will crack if you try to fold it. It is better used as a scroll, as they did in ancient Egypt. Here’s how you can make your own papyrus scroll.
For this project you will need:
a strip of natural papyrus paper aprox. 2 1/2 inches wide and 18 inches long.
a narrow cardboard tube like those found inside rolls of gift wrap. Cut the tube to a length of 2 1/2 inches, to match the width of the papyrus strip.
Coloring materials to use on the papyrus, such as oil pastels or soft colored pencils.
glue
Raffia (preferably orange or natural) or twine to tie the scroll closed.
A hole puncher or sharp tool to put a hole in the edge of the papyrus for the raffia or twine.
Instructions:
Prepare the materials (cut the cardboard tube and papyrus to size).
Decorate the strip of papyrus with hieroglyphs or images, starting about 3 inches from the end of the strip. Make a name scroll by writing your name in hieroglyphs or in symbols. You could draw an image for each letter in your first name or your initials; or draw symbols that represent your profession or personality. Decorate only one side of the papyrus, leaving both ends blank for attaching the scroll to the tube.
Decide which is the top of the scroll and which is the bottom. Hieroglyphs were read top to bottom or right to left. If you glue the top (first letter) to the tube, it will be the last thing you see when you unroll the scroll. Make sure that the top, or first letter, is the first thing you want see, and the part glued to the tube is the last part you want to see.
Glue the end of the blank side of the papyrus to the small cardboard tube, making sure you are gluing the end, not the beginning of the scroll. Practice rolling up the scroll tightly around the tube to make sure it fits.
Cut a small hole in the free end of the papyrus strip (not the end glued to the tube). Slip the twine or raffia through the hole.
Roll up your scroll and use the raffia or twine to tie it tightly around the tube. You can make a knot in the string that can be slipped off the tube and then slipped back on, or tie the string into a bow.
Resources and Materials
Online Hieroglyph Translators (free). Write your name or any word or phrase and have it instantly translated into ancient Egyptian hieroglpyhs!
Sheet of light papyrus paper large enough for an 18”strip. Find papyrus at art supply stores like dickblick where you can find papyrus in light, medium and dark shades.
Narrow cardboard tube aprox. 1 inch wide and 2 1/2 inches long. Cut down a tube from the inside of a roll of gift wrap.
Oil pastels, set of 25 colors, or oil pastels set of 48 colors. Or Stabilo colored pencils set of 8.
Glue sticks, pack of 3, goes on purple and dries clear.
Natural raffia paper ribbon or hemp cord (natural twine).
Suggested Books on Hieroglyphs
The Shipwrecked Sailor: An Egyptian Tale with Hieroglyphs by Tamara Bower, for ages 4-9. Based on a story found in an ancient papyrus scroll, this story tells of a shipwreck on the island of the soul and a happy homecoming. One line on each page has been translated into hieroglyphs, with illustrations inspired by papyrus scrolls.
Seeker of Knowledge: The Man Who Deciphered Egyptian Hieroglyphs by James Rumford, for ages 6 and up. This is the biographical story of Jean-François Champollion who translated hieroglyphs.
Ancient Egyptians and Their Neighbors: An Activity Guide by Marian Broida, for ages 8-13. Includes the neighboring cultures of the Hittites, Nubians, and Mesopotamians.
Fun with Hieroglyphs by Catherine Roehrig, for all ages. Published by the Metropolitan Museum, this rubber stamp kit, easy-to-use chart, and accompanying booklet can enable anyone to start writing in hieroglyphs!
Hieroglyphs by Joyce Milton, for ages 7-12. An introduction to hieroglyphs, including a stencil that helps write them.
NYC Field Trips to Ancient Egypt with more resources and books