Storiascopio · Era 8 of 12 · lower secondary year 1
Paper arrives in Europe
about 1150 · Xàtiva, near Valencia (Spain)
In short
The Arabs brought the craft of papermaking to Spain, which was then partly under their rule. Around 1150 the geographer al-Idrisi described Xàtiva, near Valencia, as a place where excellent paper was made. In Italy production grew from the 13th century, especially in Fabriano, in the Marche, where the watermark was born, a design you can see when you hold the paper up to the light. Paper was made from linen and hemp rags pulped into a mush.
Why it matters Without paper, much cheaper than parchment, Gutenberg's printing would not have succeeded.
Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Papermaking”
Where we are in the era “Late Middle Ages”
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about 1050Event 11 of 251429
Your turn
Name ______________________ Class ______ Date __________
When did it happen? Find the date at the top and write it here:
Tell it in your own words: what happened?
Draw the scene below.
storiascopio.com/en/event/paper-arrives-in-europe/ · free worksheet, you may photocopy it for your class