Papyrus is a material similar to thick paper that was used in ancient times as a writing surface. It was made from the pith of the papyrus plant. The papyrus of Egypt is most closely associated with writing - in fact, the English word 'paper' comes from the word 'papyrus' - but the Egyptians found many uses for the plant other than a writing surface for documents and texts. Papyrus plants are native to river banks and marshy areas as they consume great quantities of water. Although today the plant no longer grows in the Egyptian Nile Valley, it is generally accepted that during antiquity it was common and indigenous to the area.