bone stylus

MART-000590/046

Object type stylus

Culture/period Medieval

Materials bone

Technique carving

Mint

Production date 643 / 680

Museum Museu Arqueològic de l’Esquerda

Current location

Archaeological site L'Esquerda, sector ibèric

Township Masies de Roda, Les (Europa, Espanya, Catalunya, Barcelona, Osona)

Dimensions 8,6 x 0,6 cm

Description

Stilus (stylus) in the form of an awl made of bone with one end pointed and the other flat or rounded. The sharp end was used to write on a layer of wax and the other, if necessary, to erase the writing so that the tablet was ready to write on again. It is the direct antecedent of modern pencils that have an eraser attached to one end. Bone styli were made on a lathe and are conical or bi-conical in shape. The opposite end to the point, which was used to erase, usually has the shape of a small spatula or a kind of ball, which sometimes has a slightly flat face. Wax tablets and styli were already used by the Greeks. They continued to be used by the Romans and also in medieval times. In some cases, they were still used well into the 19th century.

Omeka ID 2947