Parchment production in classical antiquity. Parchment is a writing material produced from animal skins, used in various cultures from at least the first few millennia BC. Here, the skin is being stretched and treated on a frame by a Roman or Ancient Greek. Animal skins are on the floor and hanging at upper right. This artwork is from a series of illustrated French encyclopedia volumes, published by the Epinal printing firm in the late 19th and early 20th century. The series was called 'Serie encyclopedique des lecons de choses illustrees' (Encyclopedic series of object lessons illustrated), and this example is from a volume published in around 1900.