Innovation No. 36 of 77 in the book
The Pen
A reed pen that held and delivered ink
- When
- c. 3000 BCE
- Dynasty
- 1st Dynasty
- Era
- Early Dynastic Period
To write finely, you need a tool that holds ink and releases it in a controlled line. Egypt’s answer, from around 3000 BCE, was the reed pen.
Scribes cut the tip of a thin rush into a soft point that drew steady strokes on papyrus and could be re-cut when it wore down.
It set the standard writing instrument for thousands of years, straight through to the quill and the fountain pen it inspired.
The ancestor of every pen was a shaped Egyptian reed.
The oldest surviving pens come from First Dynasty tombs, around 3000 BCE, cut from sea rush, Juncus maritimus, which grew wild in the marshes. Scribes cut lengths of six to ten inches, sliced the writing end on a slant, and chewed the tip until the fibres split into a fine brush. That tip held a small reservoir of ink by capillary action and released it gradually as the scribe drew.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why chew the tip instead of cutting it?
Chewing breaks the cell walls and splays the internal fibres, which is what lets the reed hold ink and feed it steadily. The ink's water-soluble gum eventually clogged them, so scribes carried small knives to trim the worn end and chewed a fresh one.
How did the reed pen become the nib we know?
Through the Ptolemaic calamus — a thicker reed, Phragmites australis, cut to a point and split down the centre so ink ran down the slit. That is the exact mechanism later used in quills, steel pens and fountain pens.