How Parchment is Made

From the earliest times, humans have written on many surfaces: ostrich egg shells, stone, wood, the walls of caves, papyrus, and the skins of animals, called parchment. This video explains how parchment is made.

Many important documents were produced on vellum (parchment). One example is the Magna Carta Libertatum (The Great Charter of Liberties) which is kept at the British Library. This historic document (shown below) is written in Latin on vellum.

Magna Carta of 1215

Watch this video to see how illuminated manuscripts were produced in the Middle Ages.

Related reading: Early Written Signs; Ancient Canaanite Inscriptions