Egyptians used such pens before the year 4000 B.C. One end of the reed was sharpened to a point, and the stalk was filled with a thick mixture of water and coloring matter. The reed was squeezed when the user wanted the "ink" to flow. The ancient Greeks had a simpler pen. They used a stylus, a sort of needle, and etched their words on tablets coated with wax.
Quills, first used as pens in the sixth century, were a giant step forward. Goose quills were the most popular, but the large tail or wing feathers of other birds were also used. Using a quill was not a simple matter. First the quill was sharpened to a point. Then the parchment was polished so that the ink would not run. Every desk of the day contained a small coal-burning stove for drying the ink. Quill users kept a pumice stone close at hand to erase the ink blots. A quill would last only a week or so before it had to be replaced. Despite these shortcomings, quill pens remained in general use for about twelve hundred years.