Paper - is one of the important objects that have changed the entire civilization of the world.
Paper is a thin material resulting from the compression of fibers derived from pulp or paper pulp. The fibers are usually made from natural materials and contain cellulose and hemicellulose. Paper was used as the primary medium for writing, printing, painting, and many other functions.
Paper creation is a new revolution in the writing world and has contributed to significant changes in world civilization. Before paper was invented, the ancients used loh (Lauh clay) from burned clay. That can be found in the culture of the Sumerians, inscriptions made of stone, wood, bamboo, leather, animal bones, silk, and even palm leaves strung together as found in the Indonesian Archipelago manuscripts several centuries ago.
According to records, the history of paper began in 105 BC in China when it was discovered by the eunuch Cai Lun from the court of the Eastern Han Dynasty in Luoyang.
History of Paper
Egypt (مصر)
Ancient Egyptian civilization used papyrus (a material made from the pith of the papyrus plant) as a writing medium.
The word papyrus was absorbed into English to paper, then Papier in Dutch, German, and French, and Papel in Spanish which means paper.
The use of papyrus as a writing medium was used in Ancient Egyptian civilization at the time of the pharaohs and then spread throughout the Middle East to Rome in the Mediterranean Sea and throughout Europe. However, the use of papyrus was still considered very expensive.
The historical record of Chinese culture is a civilization that donated pieces to the world. Tsai Lun discovered paper from bamboo, readily available throughout China in 101 AD. This discovery eventually spread to Japan and Korea as the Chinese people applied to the east and the development of civilization in the region, although at first, the way of making paper was a very secret thing.
In the end, the paper-making technique fell into the hands of the Arabs during the Abbasid period, especially after the defeat of the Tang Dynasty troops in the Battle of Talas in 751 AD, were prisoners of war taught the Arabs how to make paper so that in the Abbasid era, there emerged the centers of the paper industry in both Baghdad and Samarkand and other industrial cities, then spread to Italy and India, then Europe, especially after the Crusades and the fall of Granada from the Moors to the Spaniards and throughout the world.
China (中国)
Inspired by the silk rolling process, the ancient Chinese invented a paper-like material called bo, made of silk. However, the production of bo is costly due to the scarcity of materials.
At the beginning of the second century, a court official named Cai Lun found a new type of paper made from bark, bamboo, cloth, wheat stalks, etc. This type of paper is relatively inexpensive, light, thin, durable, and more suitable for use with brushes.
In the early third century, this process of making paper first spread to Korea and then to Japan. This type of paper penetrated Arabia during the Tang Dynasty and began to touch Europe in the 12th century.
In the 16th century, the paper reached America and gradually spread worldwide.
Indonesia
In Indonesia, the first paper has been made in Wengker or Ponorogo since the 7th century, which is made from the bark of a local tree. The paper that had been made in Ponorogo was used to write monks who studied Buddhism in the Sriwijaya kingdom to Ancient Mataram because it was suitable for the tropics. However, even though he could make paper, Ponorogo did not write events on paper but a copper plate found in the 9th century in Taji Village about Buddhist religious events.
In addition, paper made by Ponorogo was used as a medium for painting wayang beber, which became the forerunner of wayang kulit and the main ingredient of Damar Kurung during the Majapahit era. When Islam was in Indonesia, Ponorogo-made paper was used for the Ponorogo Eid balloon material in the Eid celebration, which Ponorogo Muslims had previously also celebrated Buddhists in Ponorogo since the 7th century. Besides, Ponorogo paper was also used to write the holy book Al-Qur'an on The Tegalsari Islamic Boarding School is managed by Kyai Ageng Hasan Besari.
Korea (한국)
Launching Thoughtco in the 500s AD, artisans on the Korean Peninsula are known to have started making paper using many of the same materials as paper makers in China.
Koreans also used rice straw and seaweed, expanding the types of fibers available for paper production. The early adoption of this paper also sparked Korean innovation in printing.
Around AD 610, according to legend, the Korean Buddhist monk Don-Cho introduced paper-making to Emperor Kotoku's court in Japan. Technology for making paper spread west through Tibet and then south into India.
Japan (日本)
The Japanese knew how to make a paper about 500 years earlier than the Europeans. Japan knows how to make paper thanks to its trade relations with the Korean Peninsula that date back to ancient times.
According to the Japanese history book Nihon Shoki, the monk Donchō (Dokyo) came to Japan from the Goguryeo Kingdom in 610 (the 18th year of the Suiko era). Donchō is an expert in many fields, including how to make paper and ink. In Japan, Donchō made paper mills from stone mills powered by windmills. The raw material for paper at that time was pulp from hemp fiber which was ground with a stone mill.
At that time, the technique of making paper was a state secret of the Chinese empire that could not be divulged abroad. The spread of paper to the Middle East brought by Arabs who were former prisoners of war in China only occurred 140 years after Japan's introduction of paper-making techniques.
Before it was known how to make it, the paper was already used in Japan as a material for making books. The book Analects of Confucius and the Thousand Classics was brought to Japan in the 4th or 5th century. According to Kojiki, the book was first brought into Japan by a writer named Wani Kishi of the Baekje kingdom in 285 (the 16th year of Emperor jin's era). Wani brought ten volumes of the Confucian Analects and one volume of the One Thousand Classics (Qiānzìwén). Kojiki's data regarding the origin of the book is considered inaccurate. The author of the book "One Thousand Classics" was born 100 years after Emperor Ōjin's era.
Conclusion
Paper has made an outstanding contribution to human civilization and the world. Through the paper, there has been the spread of knowledge across the globe, from east to west and from south to north. Today, science and technology can be created thanks to the paper that has recorded the past figures' knowledge. Thank you, paper, for your presence in this world.
Reference:
www.thoughtco.com
www.wikipedia.com