Ancient Writing Materials: Real samples of Papyrus, Parchment, and Vellum about 4 by 4 inches in size. Papyrus was first used in the First Dynasty of ancient Egypt for writing material. The papyrus plant grows in the Nile delta, and was also used to make boats, sandals, mats, ropes, and baskets. We get our word “paper” from “papyrus.” At the beginning of the 1st centuries parchment became popular. Parchment is made from animal skins. Early Christians started sewing the parchment into a codex or book. Vellum is a translucent material produced from animal skin. The Vellum is washed in water and soaked in lime to remove the hair and soften the skin. Most of the finer medieval manuscripts were written on vellum.