Amazing Technology from the Roman Empire: Wax Tablets

Wax tablets were among the oldest writing media, and scientists have recently uncovered the secrets of their technology.

In Ancient Rome, if you needed to write a letter, you wouldn't reach for parchment or pottery shards, but beeswax. Specifically, you'd use a wooden tablet coated with a layer of wax. These wax tablets were the primary medium for writing in the ancient world, used by both the Greeks and Romans for nearly three millennia.

Recently, scientists have, for the first time, conducted an in-depth study of the ancient technology behind wax tablets and the techniques used to write on them. Led by Professor Robert Fuchs from the Institute of Conservation Sciences in Cologne, a team of researchers examined tablets found in Pompeii. Their findings suggest that the Roman Empire had an industrial-scale production of standardized wax tablets.

So, how did they work? Characters were inscribed onto the wax surface using a stylus. The key to the wax tablets' enduring success was that the wax could be repeatedly written on and erased, allowing for the content to be altered countless times. It was possible to extend the tablet's lifespan by applying additional wax.

In 1959, archaeologists excavating an ancient estate near Pompeii, Italy, uncovered two wicker baskets filled with wax tablets. Despite being perfectly preserved by the volcanic ash from Mount Vesuvius's famous eruption, these tablets shrank significantly after their discovery due to drying. Fortunately, they were photographed immediately upon discovery, allowing scientists to study them using advanced technologies.

Using a video microscope and chemical analysis, Robert Fuchs' team studied a total of 46 tablets and wax fragments preserved in Pompeii and the Archaeological Museum of Naples. They also examined 43 bone styluses found in Pompeii.

The research yielded surprising results. The production technology of wax tablets was already highly developed in ancient Rome and operated on an industrial scale. Contrary to previous beliefs, the wax was not poured directly into a hollowed wooden tablet. Instead, it was applied as a prefabricated wax sheet, which was then cut to fit and inserted into the hollow of the tablet.