The most common material on which books were written by the Greeks and Romans, was the thin coats or rind of the Egyptian papyrus. This plant was called by the Egyptians Byblos. The papyrus tree grows in swamps to the height of ten feet and more, and paper was prepared from the thin coats or pellicles which surround the plant. The form and general appearance of the papyri rolls will be understood from the following woodcut taken from the paintings found at Pompeii. - Smith, 1873