Reed pen

The head of a reed pen, from different angles

Red pens can be used for Arabic calligraphy.

A reed pen (Greek: κάλαμοι kalamoi; singular κάλαμος kalamos) is a writing implement made by cutting and shaping a single reed straw or length of bamboo. In Arabic, it is called Qalam. Reed pens were used throughout antiquity. The reed is cut at an angle, the tip is sharpened. Ink is used to write (in antiquity onto papyrus or parchment). It is possible to write in thicker or thinner lines by varying the angle, at which the reed pen is held. A reed pen made of bronze was found in a grave in Attica, Greece, and dated to the 5th centry BC. Feathers have not been used as a writing tool before the 6th century AD.

The Indic scripts bearing a "head-mark" can be attributed to the use of a reed pens. Examples include the continuous top-line of Devanagari, the semi-circular "umbrella" of the Odia, and the "check-mark" of the Kannada.

Reed Pen Media

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  The inkstained cut tips of reed pens

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  Қалам

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  Egyptian reed pens inside ivory and wooden palettes, the Louvre

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  Vincent Van Gogh, Ploughman in the Fields near Arles, 1888, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.