Bookmarks: Their Ancient and Medieval Origins

Dear Book Lover Enthusiasts,

I would like to share with you some fascinating facts and images about the origins of bookmarks.

Bookmarks have been around for at least 1,500 years. Long before the printed book, early readers needed a way to keep track of where they were in precious handwritten texts.

If you are the inquisitive type, like myself, please continue reading ...

Ancient Egyptian Bookmarks

Bookmarks have existed for centuries and were first discovered in Egypt. The Egyptian bookmark, dating from the sixth century, was the oldest known bookmark. This known bookmark was found attached to the cover of a Coptic text in a deserted monastery near Sakkara, Egypt. These exquisite bookmarks were made of ornate leather on one side and fine parchment known as vellum on the other.

Long before the codex became popular, Egyptians read scrolls, which were typically made of papyrus. Reading was not casual back then—texts served religious, legal, medical, and administrative purposes. Because scrolls could be several meters long, readers needed ways to pause and continue without unrolling the entire text, resulting in the realistic need for early "bookmark" solutions.

Egyptian papyrus sheets were read by unrolling with one hand while rerolling with the other. As you can see in the illustration below, text appeared in vertical columns, read right-to-left or left-to-right depending on the script. Losing your place meant significant effort—so physical and visual markers mattered.

Egyptians frequently used tall, narrow columns of text rather than long horizontal lines.

Each column ran from top to bottom, and the columns were placed side by side. Columns were read one after the other. There were typically no drawn lines between columns; instead, a blank space separated one column from the next. This empty space informed the reader, "This column ends here."

Egyptians used two colors of ink: black ink, indicating normal text, and red ink, marking important places, i.e., special markers. The red ink was used for starting a new section, highlighting the first word or symbol in a column, and marking titles or warnings. This method made the page easier to scan.

Many Egyptian signs showed people, animals, or birds. These figures faced the direction you should read. If the figures faced right, you would start reading on the right. These figures acted as a visual arrow.

Egyptians were known not to use periods, commas, or paragraph breaks; instead, they relied on spacing, red ink, and columns structured in an even and neatly aligned manner.

When the text would come to an end, there would be extra space at the bottom of the column, thus indicating “The Text Is Finished.” No decorative ending marks were needed.

In much the same way, this exploration of early bookmarks and written form comes to a quiet close. Just as the ancient column ended without flourish, the story of these early reading tools rests here—complete, unadorned, and ready to be set aside until the next page is turned.

From ancient papyrus scrolls to today’s printed pages, bookmarks have always served the same purpose—helping us pause, return, and continue.

While today’s bookmarks look very different, the intention remains the same. My floral bookmarks are designed to bring a moment of beauty and calm to everyday reading—a modern expression of a tradition that spans centuries.

Discover Floral Bookmarks