My intermediate Greek class recently made papyrus and it worked pretty well! Here's a little thread on our process. 1/10 #ClassicsTwitter #TeachAncient 
The reeds grow well in any humid climate. The @Illinois_Alma grounds staff kindly set them aside for us at the end of the season but I think I could grow them in my backyard. Shout out to @jessrwells for helping with the harvest 2/10
First we removed the husks and cut the pith into thin strips. You need sharp knives for this so I got faculty and grads to help. Less liability and good community building! 3/10
Next we soaked the strips for 3 days. One thing we learned: it's good to flatten them out with a rolling pin/mallet BEFORE soaking. Makes them easier to work with. Also, you can soak them much longer; we were impatient. 4/10
We experimented with different weaving methods and then flattened our woven mats on wooden cutting boards using rolling pins and crab mallets. 5/10
We placed each mat between two towels and two cutting boards, weighted them down with heavy books in my office. I changed the towels 1-2x per day for 3 days. Also could have gone longer. 6/10
First results were not great so we studied papyrus from a museum gift shop to see where we went wrong. Developed a better weave strategy. Fortunately grounds came through with a smaller 2nd delivery of reeds so we got to try again. 7/10
2nd time made 1 page as a group. Weave went 1 horizontal strip then 1 vertical strip and repeat. Worked better than threading wet plant matter through itself. Also more soak time, more dry time, and more weight on the paper. Looks a bit like we're making shooter sandwiches. 8/10
Not pretty but it's paper! After trimming the edges we were ready to write something using bamboo pens purchased from Art Coop in Urbana (theartcoop.com). 9/10
Text says αἱ μαθηταὶ τοῦ λέοντος ἐποίησαν ("the students of the lion made this") followed by their names (one absent in gen. abs.). Yes, that's αἱ where we need οἱ. Sue me. We were excited. Now it's hanging on the wall in my office. 10/10
