With advancements in paper, pen, and ink production, young Cyrus's creative mind turned to another writing tool whose absence was keenly felt in the ancient world. Pens and ink were suitable for formal and permanent writing, but for sketching, drawing maps, quick note-taking, or preliminary drafts, a dry, erasable, and precise instrument was needed. He recalled modern graphite pencils; tools that could create accurate and editable lines and played an important role in design and engineering.
Making a pencil in ancient times was a great challenge. The main component of modern pencils, graphite, was not available in refined form at that time. Cyrus searched for natural alternatives, and his mind turned to charcoal; a material obtained from the incomplete burning of wood and easily found. He knew that charcoal could create dark and relatively stable lines, but it was brittle and difficult to control for creating delicate lines.
The first experiments involved direct use of thin charred wood sticks. These "charcoal pencils," although they could make marks on paper, were very messy, broke easily, and blackened hands. Cyrus realized that to create an efficient tool, he needed a binding agent for the charcoal particles and a protective casing. This was a new section of his research in his clay workshop.
In one of the smaller sections of the workshop, his trusted nurses, under Cyrus's guidance, began experimenting with charcoal powder. They ground higher-quality charcoal into a fine powder. Then, they mixed it with natural adhesive materials like tree sap or fine clay. The goal was to create a paste that could be shaped and, after drying, would have suitable hardness for writing and would not smear easily. These experiments required great precision and patience.
After repeated efforts and numerous failures, they achieved a suitable mixture. The charcoal and gum paste was formed into thin rods and then dried at a controlled temperature. The next step was to create a casing to protect these fragile rods. Cyrus remembered modern wooden pencils and encouraged his nurses to carve thin pieces of wood and create grooves in them to hold the charcoal rods.
The first resulting "graphite pencils" were crude and handmade. They consisted of a compressed charcoal rod placed between two halves of thin wood and bound with string or thin leather. These tools, though far from modern pencils, created clear and erasable lines on paper. Cyrus could quickly sketch initial designs, diagrams, and maps with them, without the need for a pen and ink.
This new invention added a new dimension to Cyrus's writing capabilities. He now had a tool that was vital for engineering, architectural, and strategic design. He could quickly put urban plans, building designs, and even military formations onto paper and make necessary changes. This graphite pencil was a revolutionary tool for the development of practical and applied knowledge in his future empire.
Cyrus knew that this small tool would gradually help scribes, architects, engineers, and even military commanders to record their ideas with greater ease and precision. This invention marked the beginning of a new era of design and planning that could lay the foundation for a more advanced and efficient civilization in Parsa; a civilization in which writing tools would open up new possibilities for people instead of limiting them.