temples of Egypt wrote their exercises and copies of standard literary
compositions on slices of white limestone of fine texture, or upon
boards, in the shape of modern slates used in schools, whitened with
lime. The "copies" from which they worked were written by the teacher on
limestone slabs of somewhat larger size. Copies of the texts that masons
cut upon the walls of temples and other monuments were also written on
slabs of this kind, and when figures of kings or gods were to be
sculptured on the walls their proportions were indicated by
perpendicular and horizontal lines drawn to scale. Portions of broken
earthen-ware pots were also used for practising writing upon, and in the
Ptolemaic and Roman Periods lists of goods, and business letters, and
the receipts given by the tax-gatherers, were written upon potsherds. In
still later times, when skin or parchment was as expensive as papyrus,
the Copts, or Egyptian Christians, used slices of limestone and
potsherds for drafts of portions of the Scriptures and letters in much
the same way as did their ancestors.

A roll of papyrus when not in use was kept in shape by a string or piece
of papyrus cord, which was tied in a bow; sometimes, especially in the
case of legal documents, a clay seal bearing the owner's name was
stamped on the cord. Valuable rolls were kept in wooden cases or "book
boxes," which were deposited in a chamber or "house" set apart for the
purpose, which was commonly called the "house of books," _i.e._ the
library. Having now described the principal writing materials used by
the ancient Egyptians, we may pass on to consider briefly the various
classes of Egyptian Literature that have come down to us.