{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.papyrus","code":"thing-q125576","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q125576/","name":"papyrus","alternateNames":["Hebrew and Aramaic papyri","Jewish magical papyri"],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.2.0-wave.4","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Physical world and living systems","entryKind":"thing","plane":"PHY","domain":["PHY.LIV"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"A writing material made in ancient Egypt from the pith of the papyrus plant, Cyperus papyrus, cut into strips, layered, pressed and dried into sheets, used across the ancient Mediterranean for scrolls and documents before parchment and paper; the registry aliases name specific bodies of papyri such as Hebrew and Aramaic papyri and Jewish magical papyri, which are collections of documents rather than the material itself. Surviving papyri are vital historical sources, fragile and conserved in specialist collections, and papyrology is the study of them.","purpose":"Let an agent explain papyrus, relay its manufacture, use, survival and study from history and papyrology sources, describe the named document collections as distinct from the material, and distinguish papyrus from parchment, paper, the papyrus plant and specific manuscript collections.","scope":{"in":[],"out":[],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["Layered plant strips","Ancient Mediterranean use","Fragile survival","Studied in papyrology"],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"understand","name":"Understand","description":"What papyrus is.","layers":[{"id":"definition","name":"Definition","description":"Definition.","findings":[{"id":"definition-finding","name":"Definition","description":"Definition.","questions":[{"text":"What is papyrus, and how does it differ from parchment, paper, the papyrus plant and named manuscript collections?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Is the question about the material, the plant or specific documents?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"collections","name":"Collections","description":"Named collections.","findings":[{"id":"collections-finding","name":"Collections","description":"Collections.","questions":[{"text":"What are the Hebrew and Aramaic papyri and Jewish magical papyri?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Which entry fits the specific collection?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"manufacture","name":"Manufacture","description":"Manufacture.","layers":[{"id":"making","name":"Making","description":"Making papyrus.","findings":[{"id":"making-finding","name":"Making","description":"Making.","questions":[{"text":"How was papyrus made from the plant pith?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which references are standard?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"use","name":"Use","description":"Use.","findings":[{"id":"use-finding","name":"Use","description":"Use.","questions":[{"text":"How was papyrus used for scrolls and documents?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which sources are cited?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"study","name":"Study","description":"Papyrology.","layers":[{"id":"papyrology","name":"Papyrology","description":"Papyrology.","findings":[{"id":"papyrology-finding","name":"Papyrology","description":"Papyrology.","questions":[{"text":"How do papyrologists read and edit ancient papyri?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits papyrology?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"conservation","name":"Conservation","description":"Conservation.","findings":[{"id":"conservation-finding","name":"Conservation","description":"Conservation.","questions":[{"text":"How are fragile papyri conserved?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Is the information accurate?","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]},{"id":"context","name":"Context","description":"Legacy.","layers":[{"id":"successors","name":"Successors","description":"Parchment and paper.","findings":[{"id":"successors-finding","name":"Successors","description":"Successors.","questions":[{"text":"How did parchment and paper replace papyrus?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits parchment?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"provenance","name":"Provenance","description":"Provenance.","findings":[{"id":"provenance-finding","name":"Provenance","description":"Provenance.","questions":[{"text":"What provenance and antiquities issues affect papyri, with positions attributed?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Is the presentation neutral and attributed?","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Describe how papyrus was made and used from historical sources.","Help researchers find published images and editions of papyri."],"mustNot":["Help trade papyri without lawful provenance.","Present forged or doubtful papyri as authentic.","Advise handling ancient papyri outside a conservator's care.","Publish unpublished texts in breach of the holding institution's rights."],"requiresHuman":["Acquiring, selling or exporting an ancient papyrus.","Any physical treatment of an ancient papyrus."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Looted papyri strip countries of their heritage.","Forgeries have misled scholars and the public."],"affectedParties":["Source countries and communities","Scholars","Museums and libraries"]},"owners":{"steward":"The holding museum or library; national antiquities authorities control export.","roles":[],"masterSystems":["Museum and library collection catalogues"]},"relations":[{"target":"Q28969364","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Q3300034","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Q65768838","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"writing material","type":"related","note":"in registry terms"},{"target":"Cyperus papyrus","type":"related"},{"target":"parchment","type":"related"},{"target":"paper","type":"related"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.papyrus","Wikidata: Q125576 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q125576)"]},"properties":{"applicability":"required","items":["plant: Cyperus papyrus taxon","use period: from about 3000 BC note - ancient Egypt onward","registry parents: plant material, writing material note"]},"recognition":{"applicability":"required","items":["Ancient writing material from the papyrus plant","Hebrew and Aramaic papyri, Jewish magical papyri","Parchment is animal skin; paper is matted fibres; the papyrus plant is the living sedge; named papyri are document collections","Pale brown sheets of layered plant strips, often as fragmentary scrolls."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["explain manufacture and use","relay survival and study","describe named collections","distinguish related materials"]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Damage to fragile papyri","Treating document collections as the material","Provenance and looting concerns"]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["Conservation standards for fragile documents","Cultural heritage and antiquities laws"]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["Ancient writing material.","literary papyri","documentary papyri","magical papyri","multilingual papyri"]}},"sources":[{"title":"Wikidata item Q125576: papyrus","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q125576","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia: Papyrus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papyrus","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Should named papyri collections be separate entries?","How should papyrology databases be linked?","How should provenance issues be presented?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q125576/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q125576/spec.json"],"providers":["Claude"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-14T02:43:53Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"filled","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-06T19:51:54+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 2 live sources; review by codex: pass"},"score":1.0}}