Parchment is a material for the pages of a book or codex, made from fine calf skin, sheep skin or goat skin. It was invented about the 2nd century BC in Pergamon, Asia Minor, as a substitute for papyrus. In later times (towards the end of the 1st millennium in Europe), parchment in turn was largely replaced by paper.
Parchment (pergaminus in latin) is named after the city Pergamon where it was invented. Pergamon had a great library that rivalled the famous Library of Alexandria. When Alexandria stopped exporting papyrus, Pergamon adapted by inventing parchment.
One sort of parchment is vellum, a word that is used loosely to mean parchment, and especially for fine parchment, but more accurately refers to parchment made from calf skin. The words "vellum" and "veal" come from Latin vitulus = "calf" or its diminutive vitellus. In the Middle Ages calfskin and sheepskin were the commonest materials for making parchment in England and France, and goatskin was the commoner material in Italy.
Parchment also refers to a form of silicone-impregnated paper used in cooking.
See also
Last updated: 10-24-2005 10:44:24
