The plants in ancient Egypt - Their habitat, history, culture, and their diverse uses in social life, including worship, customs, traditions, medicine, and art. Based on the visual representations of the ancient Egyptians, plant remains from tomb discoveries, testimonies of ancient writers, and research findings. Illustrated with numerous black-and-white images. Typical for the Nile Delta are lotus plums, bamboo reeds, and bulrushes; the papyrus plants that were cultivated here in antiquity are now hardly found. In ancient Egypt, the first papyri were likely produced as early as the 3rd millennium BC. The raw material was provided by the true papyrus (Cyperus papyrus), a species from the sedge family (Cyperus), which can reach heights of up to 3 meters. Papyrus was also used in ancient Egypt as a building material for ceremonial boats.