Paper

Paper is a thin, flexible, tearable membrane made from various substances, on which one writes or prints.

The oldest known papers in Europe date back to the 13th century. They were originally made from scraps of rags, linen, cotton, etc. Since then, the most unusual materials have been introduced, such as sawn wood or wood cut into thin filaments, straw, wool, esparto grass, and in short, any decomposable textile plant.

^{Contribution by Bertrand Galimard Flavigny}