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History / Ancient civilizations / Grade 6 / ha6p1

Papyrus: Resource, Object and Evidence

Compare three invented exhibit cards without treating one object as a whole society.

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Learn the skill

Distinguish a plant resource, a crafted object and evidence of use. Read what each card actually describes. Crossing layers place strips across another layer, not alternately over and under. A written record is evidence of particular activity, not proof that everyone wrote or that its contents are true.

Worked example

A reed and a blank mat show a resource and a made object. A note listing two mats received models record keeping. To check the reported delivery, ask who made the note, why, and what independent evidence exists.

Invented cards P, Q and R represent a blank sheet, a note listing 9 rolls delivered and a basket. A separate structure model shows parallel strips crossed by a second layer, not over-under weaving.
Original models. Material, use and written claims answer different questions.

Three Invented Exhibit Cards

Historical background: ancient Egyptian craftspeople made papyrus writing sheets from plant-stem strips in crossing layers. Papyrus also had other uses. Our cards are invented teaching models, not real objects or translations. P describes a blank papyrus sheet. Q describes a note on papyrus saying 9 rolls were delivered. R describes a papyrus basket. No maker, date or independent delivery evidence is supplied. These three cards do not say how many people could write. Use the supplied pictures; no plant collection, cutting or processing is needed.

Question 1 Which resource connects the three cards?
Question 2 Which description matches the sheet structure in the passage?
Question 3 Which card most directly represents using papyrus to record a delivery?
Question 4 Does Q establish that every person in ancient Egypt could write?
Question 5 What should an investigator ask before trusting the delivery claim in Q?