Parchment Part 2
Parchment: an Overview of the Material Definition Parchment is the cleaned, stretched skin of an animal, untanned, that is used as a writing medium. In medieval Europe it was the most common carrier for calligraphy or illuminations, whether bound into a book or left as a loose sheet or wrapped around a wooden dowel as a scroll. Skin sources Not all hides serve equally for making parchment. Pig skin, for example, has large, coarse pores, and the hair follicles go all the way through the hide. A parchment made from pig skin would have tiny holes everywhere, and a rough texture that would quickly dull the scribe's quill. Pig skin is also extremely thick/heavy, which would make very stiff, bulky parchment; it would not do well for making thin, flexible sheets for bookbinding. Horse, and other thick-skinned animals, would likewise make very stiff and coarse parchment (unless the parchmenter was able to split the hide into two sheets, but this is a relatively advanced skill and adds