Parchment, the processed skins of certain animals—chiefly sheep, goats, and calves—that have been prepared for the purpose of writing on them. The name apparently derives from the ancient Greek city of Pergamum (modern Bergama, Turkey), where parchment is said to have been invented in the 2nd century bc.

Historians have found proof that parchment was in use even in 3nd millennia BC (Egyptian examples of leather prepared for writing date to 2500 BC), but organized production and the popularity of parchment arrived in 3rd century BC with the exploits of the Greek manufacturers in Pergamon.