[PapaBear3625]

The ancient Greeks and Romans used wax tablets

You write a message with a stylus in the wax, then close the tablet. The wood protects the message. After the recipient has read the message, the wax can be smoothed out to erase it.

[SunkenCiv]

thanks for the pic!

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/3393802/posts?page=3#3

[WildHighlander57]

And the holes we see in that pic at the top are for storing the styli.