Parchment is a writing material made from specially prepared untanned skins of animals—primarily sheep, calves, and goats. It has been used as a writing medium for over two millennia. Vellum is a finer quality parchment made from the skins of young animals such as lambs and young calves.
Central European (Northern) type of finished parchment made of goatskin stretched on a wooden frame
Parchment with a quill and ink
Latin grant dated 1329, written on fine parchment or vellum, with seal
A 1385 copy of the Sachsenspiegel, a German legal code, written on parchment with straps and clasps on the binding
A writing material is a surface that can be written on with suitable instruments, or used for symbolic or representational drawings. Building materials on which writings or drawings are produced are not included. The gross characterization of writing materials is by the material constituting the writing surface and the number, size, usage, and storage configuration of multiple surfaces into a single object. Writing materials are often paired with specific types of writing instruments. Other important attributes of writing material are its reusability, permanence, and resistance to fraudulent misuse.
Handwriting on paper; a writing material
Rock paintings in Libya
Papyrus fragment from the late Middle Kingdom in Ancient Egypt
