One of the very first groups of people to write and keep records were the

Egyptians. The two most notable inventions and tools used in ancient Egypt
in the area of communication and record keeping are Egyptian hieroglyphs
and the papyrus.

Egyptian hieroglyphs – were the formal writing system used in ancient

Egypt. It combined logographic, syllabic and alphabetic elements, and is
estimated to have around 1000 distinct characters. In other words, it is a
form of writing that uses images and symbols to express meaning.
Of course, not everyone in ancient Egypt knew how to read and write. Only
a select few, a group of people called scribes have this knowledge.
What is the importance of hieroglyphs? Ancient Egyptians found it
extremely important to record communication for just about anything. They
used this record information. It was also used to tell stories about their
history, their gods, the animals, nature, ceremonies and rituals and so much
more. They recorded all sorts of information from the not so important
pieces such as letters, poems, and stories to the important ones like state’s
share of taxes, ordered supplies for temples and even for the Egyptian
military.

Papyrus – a material similar to thick paper that was used in ancient Egypt.
Papyrus is made from the plant, Cyperus papyrus. Specifically, the stem of
the papyrus plant. The sticky and fibrous inner pith of the plant is cut
lengthwise into strips. The strip is then placed side by side with the edges
slightly overlapping each other and then another strip is then placed on top.
It is speculated that the strips may have been soaked in water to increase
adhesion. While moist, the layers would then be hammered together to
form a single sheet. It will be then dried and polished. The papyrus plant was
abundant across the Nile delta and this is why they had a great source for
making papyrus. Papyrus is basically the paper ancient Egyptians used to
record and communicate information. Aside from using clay and rocks to
write hieroglyphs and other writings, papyrus was used.

References:
Leach, Bridget, and William John Tait. 2000. "Papyrus". In Ancient Egyptian Materials and
Technology, edited by Paul T. Nicholson and Ian Shaw. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press. 227–253. Thorough technical discussion with extensive bibliography.
Parkinson, Richard Bruce, and Stephen G. J. Quirke. 1995. Papyrus. Egyptian Bookshelf.
London: British Museum Press.

Allen, J. P. (n.d.). Ancient Egyptian. The Ancient Egyptian Language, 1-8.

doi:10.1017/cbo9781139506090.003

Allen, J. P. (2015). Middle Egyptian: An introduction to the language and culture of hieroglyphs.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.