{"id":9882,"date":"2023-12-09T21:00:18","date_gmt":"2023-12-09T20:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.learnancientrome.com\/?p=9882"},"modified":"2023-12-09T21:00:18","modified_gmt":"2023-12-09T20:00:18","slug":"what-were-tablets-made-out-of-in-ancient-rome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.learnancientrome.com\/what-were-tablets-made-out-of-in-ancient-rome\/","title":{"rendered":"What Were Tablets Made Out Of In Ancient Rome"},"content":{"rendered":"
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What were tablets made out of in Ancient Rome?<\/h2>\n

Tablets were an integral part of Roman culture in the formative centuries of their civilization. As navigators and settlers, they used tablets to record daily activities such as weather, business, and religious observances. They were so important to the Romans that Caesar even used tablets for his famous dictum – alarming his enemies of his swift approach. In fact, tablets have been part of many cultures since the dawn of written communication. However, what exactly were these tablets made out of?<\/p>\n

In Ancient Rome, tablets were usually made of wax or clay. Wax tablets had a wooden or bone frame and were filled with a softened beeswax or tablet wax. A stylus would be used to write words, numbers and drawings onto the tablet. The wax would eventually get reused by re-smoothing it. Clay tablets presented another option to use in Ancient Rome. High-fired clay was used to make the tablets which could be bought in a variety of sizes and shapes. The surface of the tablet was then inscribed with a stylus. Clay tablets were often waterproof and easier to transport than wax tablets as they were a lot lighter.<\/p>\n

How were writing tablets used?<\/h2>\n

Writing tablets were used in two main ways in Ancient Rome. Firstly they were used to organize the daily activities of Roman citizens. There were different types of tablets available such as wax, clay and papyrus. Each of these had a different use depending on what was required. wax tablets were used for personal letters and memoranda, clay tablets for official documents, and papyrus scrolls for long documents. All these tablets were also used for record keeping. Roman historians used to record events, laws, and correspondence on different types of tablets.<\/p>\n

Writing tablets weren’t only used for keeping records. Ancient authors and scholars used wax and clay tablets to record their thoughts, comments and observations. With a wax tablet, the stability of the wax made it perfect for writing and erasing multiple times. This meant that authors and scholars could keep track of their ideas, revise them, and even make additions as they developed their thought process. In short, writing tablets were an important form of communication and organization during this period of Ancient Rome.<\/p>\n

Are there any surviving examples of Roman tablets?<\/h2>\n