Roman Iron Stylus

$202.19

An Ancient Roman iron stylus featuring a sharpened end, for scratching the characters upon the wax, and a flattened end, which served to render the surface of the tablets smooth again, and so to obliterate what had been written.

Date: Circa 1st – 3rd century AD
Provenance: Ex major London collection collected by S.M. 1970-2010
Condition: Fine, complete and intact. Beautiful dark olive-green patination to the surface. Mounted on a custom made stand.

SOLD

SKU: FP-97 Category: Tag:

This stylus would have been used for writing on wax tablets, tabulae ceratae, the most common writing medium in the Roman world. The tablets could be reused by warming and melting the wax and letting it set again.

 

 

 

 

 

Weight 13 g
Dimensions L 11.4 cm
Culture

Metal

Region