Parchment use in medieval Europe. Parchment is a writing material produced from animal skins, used in various cultures from at least the first few millennia BC. Here, monks are writing on parchments in the Middle Ages, a time when much learning was preserved in the abbeys and monasteries. 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.