Ancient Writing Materials: Parchment; Parchment is paper made from animal skin. Enclosed are one sheet each of calf skin marked (C), sheep skin (S), goat skin (G), and deer skin (D). The samples are about 3 1/2 inches tall by 2 1/2 inches wide. At the beginning of the 1st centuries parchment became popular. Parchment is can be made from different animal skins. The skin is washed in water and soaked in lime to remove the hair and soften the skin. Early Christians started sewing the parchment into a codex or book. In Ethiopia they used red deer skin. In Morocco they used white deer skin. In Europe they used calf skin. Most of the Dead Sea Scrolls are made of sheep or goat skin.