A bit of history: Bamboo reed pens with a split nib have been found in Ancient Egyptian sites dating from the 4th century BC. Reed pens were used for writing on papyrus and were the most common writing implement in antiquity. In Mesopotamia reed pens were used by pressing the tips into clay tablets to create written records. Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants in the subfamily Bambusoideae of a grass family, with giant bamboos being the largest