Egyptian reed pens in the Louvre

Reed pens or kalamoi (singular kalamos) are a type of writing implement with a long history. They are made by cutting and shaping a single reed straw or length of bamboo. Reed pens with modern features such as a split nib have been found in Ancient Egyptian sites dating from the 4th Century BC. Reed pens were used for writing on papyrus, and were the most common writing implement at the time the New Testament of the Bible was written. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (2560 × 1920 pixel, file size: 576 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Work by Rama File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (2560 × 1920 pixel, file size: 576 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Work by Rama File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed... Kalamos is a Greek word meaning reed, from which comes stories of the Greek mythological figure Kalamos, the son of Maiandros (aka Meander), god of the Meander River. ... Styli used in writing in the Fourteenth Century. ... Reed can refer to: // Reed (plant), grass-like plant growing in shallow water or on marshy ground (see also Thatching) Reed (instrument), a thin strip of cane or similar material which vibrates in wind instruments Reed, Gloppen in the county Sogn og Fjordane in Norway. ... Diversity Around 91 genera and 1,000 species Subtribes Arthrostylidiinae Arundinariinae Bambusinae Chusqueinae Guaduinae Melocanninae Nastinae Racemobambodinae Shibataeinae See the full Taxonomy of the Bambuseae. ... Map of Ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt was the civilization of the Nile Valley between about 3000 BC and the conquest of Egypt by Alexander the Great in 332 BC. As a civilization based on irrigation it is the quintessential example of an hydraulic empire. ... (2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC - 1st millennium) The 4th century BC started on January 1, 400 BC and ended on December 31, 301 BC. // Overview Events Bust of Alexander the Great in the British Museum. ... Papyrus plant Cyperus papyrus at Kew Gardens, London Papyrus is an early form of paper made from the pith of the papyrus plant, Cyperus papyrus, a wetland sedge that was once abundant in the Nile Delta of Egypt. ... John 21:1 Jesus Appears to His Disciples--Alessandro Mantovani: the Vatican, Rome. ... This Gutenberg Bible is displayed by the United States Library of Congress. ...

Reed pens are stiffer than quill pens cut from feathers, and don't retain a sharp point for as long. This led to their being replaced by quills. Nevertheless a reed pen can make bold strokes, and it remains an important tool in calligraphy. A quill pen is made from a flight feather (preferably a primary) of a large bird, most often a goose. ... Calligraphy in a Latin Bible of AD 1407 on display in Malmesbury Abbey, Wiltshire, England. ...

References

• Egyptian reed pen
• Linotype article
• Glossary definition