ETEC 540 Video Documentary By Josephine Chen
The Invention of Pen and Paper
Introduction:
When talking about the history of literacy, it is necessary to examine the history of writing technology. Writing is often referred as one of the major communication revolutions in human history (Gunaratne, 2001).
Ong (2002) points out that writing itself is a technology that calls for the use of tools and other equipment like writing instruments and surfaces. People recorded writings on various surfaces such as bones, stones, metals, bamboo, wood, wax and clay tablets, papyrus, codex and parchment using different types of writing instruments such as reed pen, quill, ink brush and dip pen.
** According to Dictionary.com, Pen…. (Definition)
History of pen:
Ancient Egyptians had developed writing on papyrus scrolls when scribes used thin reed brushes or reed pens from the Juncus maritimus or sea rush. Papyrus was an effective writing surface because it was thin, light and flexible (Fischer, 2004). It was also easily stored. In his book A History of Writing, Steven Roger Fischer suggests that on the basis of finds at Saqqara, the reed pen might well have been used for writing on parchment as long ago as the First Dynasty or about 3000 BC. Reed pens continued to be used until the Middle Ages although they were slowly replaced by quills from about the 7th century. The reed pen, generally made from reed straw or bamboo, allowed scribes to make marks on papyrus in a more precise way than reed brushes, so reed pens became the more common writing tool.
Reed pens had a problem of easily catching in the fibers of rough papyrus. So reed pens and papyrus were eventually replaced by quill pens and parchment.
Quill pens became the primary writing instrument in the 7th century and were commonly used until the 19th century. It required a significant amount of labor to produce just one quill pen, but it was strong and durable once it was made.
(So how are quill pen made? ! clip!)
** According to Dictionary.com, Paper…. (Definition)
History of paper:
The invention of paper and papermaking process has traditionally credited to the Chinese royal court official Cai Lun during the Han Dynasty (202 BC-AD 220). Cai ETEC 540 Video Documentary By Josephine Chen
Lun created a sheet of paper using mulberry and other bast fibres along with fishnets, old rags, and hemp waste.
During the Shang (1600–1050 BC) and Zhou (1050-256 BC) dynasties of ancient China, documents were ordinarily written on bone or bamboo (on tablets or on bamboo strips sewn and rolled together into scrolls), making them very heavy, awkward, and hard to transport. The light material of silk was sometimes used, but was normally too expensive to consider. While the Han Dynasty Chinese court official Cai Lun is widely regarded to have invented the modern method of papermaking (inspired from wasps and bees) from rags and other plant fibers in AD 105, the discovery of specimens bearing written Chinese characters in 2006 at north-east China's Gansu province suggest that paper was in use by the ancient Chinese military more than 100 years before Cai, in 8 BC. It therefore would appear that "Cai Lun's contribution was to improve this skill systematically and scientifically, fixing a recipe for papermaking"
They were looking for cheaper and more practical writing materials. Cai Lun developed paper and the papermaking process in 105AD. The paper, instead of bamboo, wood, or silk became the primary writing material.
Papermaking process spread to other parts of the world following the Silk Road. According to Gunaratne (2001), the use of paper spread to Samarkand in 650, to Egypt c. 800, to Spain c. 950, to Constantinople c. 1100, to Italy in 1154, to Germany in 1228, and to England in 1309. The manufacture of paper also began in these places; in Samarkand in 751, in Baghdad in 793, in Egypt c. 900, in Spain in 1150, in Germany in 1391 and in England in 1494. Papers and printed materials gradually became available to the masses, which helped their literacy.
(So how are paper made? ! clip!)
Conclusion:
Bhavnani and John (1998) argue, “humans throughout history have developed devices and processes to assist in the efficient performance of tasks” (Bhavnani & John, 1998, p. 273). Writing became easier with technological development and improvement of the writing instruments.
References
Bhavnani, S. K. & John, B. E. (1998). Delegation and Circumvention: Two Faces of Efficiency. CHI 98, 273-280.
Fischer, S. R. (2004). A History of Writing. London: Reaktion Books. ETEC 540 Video Documentary By Josephine Chen
Goodrich, C. L. (1962). The Development of Printing in China and its effects on renaissance under the Sung dynasty (960-1279) [Lecture notes]. Retrieved from http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkjo/view/44/4401038.pdf
Gunaratne, S. A. (2001). Paper, Printing And The Printing Press. International Communication Gazette, 63 (6), 459-479.
Ong, W. J. (1982). Orality and Literacy: Technologizing of the Word. New York: Routledge.
Photographs & Clips:
Cai Lun [Photograph]. Retrieved November 10 2014 from http://www.history-of-china.com/han-dynasty/invention-of-paper.html
Bamboo Script. [Photograph], by Bec, 2013, Retrieved from https://flic.kr/p/fehKw3
Bamboo Scroll. [Photograph], by Kit Logan, 2007, Retrieved from https://flic.kr/p/MUJXJ
Bone Script. [Photograph], by Ruth Flickr, 2009, Retrieved from https://flic.kr/p/679GDa
Codex. [Photograph], by Christopher John SSF, 2009, Retrieved from https://flic.kr/p/82fQ5N
Crafty Rags. [Photograph]. Retrieved November 10 2014 from http://dharmaflyer.blogspot.ca/2013/07/school-holidays-crafty-rags.html
Dip Pen. [Photograph], by Charles Stanford, 2009, Retrieved from https://flic.kr/p/6YEhtv
D. Shelton A. Gunaratne. [Phograph], by Dhamma26, 2011, Retrieved from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:D._Shelton_A._Gunaratne.jpg#mediaview er/File:D._Shelton_A._Gunaratne.jpg
Egyptian Scroll. [Photograph], by UNE Photos, 2009, Retrieved from https://flic.kr/p/bpoXJY
Fishnet. [Photograph], by Andreina Schoeberlein, 2014, Retrieved from https://flic.kr/p/ox73Aj
ETEC 540 Video Documentary By Josephine Chen
Han Dynasty Map. [Photograph], Retrieved November 10 2014 from http://archive.artsmia.org/art-of-asia/history/dynasty-han.cfm
Hanging Scroll. [Photograph], by Wally Gobetz, 2008, Retrieved from https://flic.kr/p/4uAW5W
Hemp. [Photograph], by Arbyreed, 2014, Retrieved from https://flic.kr/p/kbPH6B
KhadiPapers. (2012, Jul 11). Papermaking at Khadi Papers India. [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8WiU8jyfiw
Malkiel ,Max. (2011, Dec.25). Quill How To Make Quill Pen. [Video file] Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89tJ7UPpl1Q&index=1&list=PLjuhFSMjI XlUnD55Z1Yqut5Oj1i4KjHnD
Metal Script. [Photograph], by Emiliano, 2013, Retrieved from https://flic.kr/p/kBHsLK
Mulberry. [Photograph], by garlandcannon, 2010, Retrieved from https://flic.kr/p/8187Cx
Papyrus Roll. [Photograph], by Nicola Corboy, 2007, Retrieved from https://flic.kr/p/J9L1Z
Oracle Bone Script. [Photograph], by Seongbin Im, 2011, Retrieved from https://flic.kr/p/cgUB4E
Parchment. [Photograph], by Don Kennedy, 2012, Retrieved from https://flic.kr/p/dmhVTG
Pyramids at Saqqara. [Photograph], by Slices of Light, 2005, Retrieved from https://flic.kr/p/33at66
Quill. [Photograph], by Charles Stanford, 2009, Retrieved from https://flic.kr/p/6YEhtv
Quill & Parchment. [Photograph], by PhotogJS, 2009, Retrieved from https://flic.kr/p/64FuYv
Reed Pen. [Photograph], by John Reddinger, 2008, Retrieved from https://flic.kr/p/56nGxF
Sea rush. [Photograph], by fabelfroh, 2006, Retrieved from https://flic.kr/p/4LYAUT
ETEC 540 Video Documentary By Josephine Chen
Scripture on Clay. [Photograph], by vintagedept, 2010, Retrieved from https://flic.kr/p/86Lp5E
Scripture on Wood. [Photograph], by Jason Wong, 2009, Retrieved from https://flic.kr/p/6C4dMM
Walter Ong. [Photograph], by Creative Commons, 2013, Retrieved from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Walter_Ong.JPG#mediaviewer/File:Walte r_Ong.JPG
Wax Seal. [Photograph], by DrGarcia, 2013, Retrieved from https://flic.kr/p/i4XL7g