Posted on 05/28/2026 5:37:24 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
La Brújula Verde reports that a German archaeological team under the supervision of the Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe (LWL) recovered an exceptionally well-preserved notebook from a medieval toilet in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The discovery was made during construction of a new administrative headquarters in the city of Paderborn. The four- by three-inch book contains 10 wooden tablet pages coated in wax, onto which the object's owner etched writing using a metal or bone stylus. The volume was also carefully protected by a leather cover that was stamped with motifs of lilies. Although experts have not yet translated any of the passages, the text was written in Latin in a cursive handwriting that can be stylistically dated to the thirteenth or fourteenth century. The use of Latin suggests that the notebook's owner may have belonged to the literate upper echelon of medieval German society. It is possible that a wealthy merchant used it to make short notes on commercial transactions and to record personal reflections before being accidentally dropped into the latrine. In the future, experts are hoping to examine documents in the city's historical archives that might be able to link the property to a specific landowner. To read about sanitation management in medieval Holland, go to "Letter from Leiden: Of Cesspits and Sewers."
(Excerpt) Read more at archaeology.org ...
ran out of paper to wipe with
so I brought a useless notebook to use the pages thereof
whoops! dropped my notebook
I wonder if hundreds of years from now they will spend millions of dollars to analyse my useless notebook
“Who does Number Two work for?”
I cannot read it, though I can pick out a few words like quod, est, possibly quadrantem, all abbreviations I recognise.
Most of it has been blotted out and it seems to me, please correct me anyone, that the lines in the middle of the lower tablet were current when he dropped it.
To get a clean slate, a tabula rasa, one would melt the wax.
Latin paleography is a tough subject. Latin cursive?? Whoah.
This type of tablet is used in a scene of the movie “Ben Hur”,
The wager. In this scene, Massala accepts the wager by pressing his signet ring into the wax. To collect his winnings the Sheik must produce the tablet as proof.
Some deals could be done on a clay tablet and the clay baked for permanence.
https://youtu.be/Fqxv7C9uTao
The article says 3”x4”, but that is when it is open. Closed it is 2”x3”. A very handy size.
I am sure the owner was unhappy at losing it.
Papermaking was migrating to Germany just after the time this notebook was lost.
You are number 6.
I’m pretty sure that top line says “Be sure to drink your Ovaltine”.
(Surprised it took this many comments for someone to say it).
Was it a data dump?
The Medieval equivalent of dropping your iPhone in the loo?
First line translated, “ there once was a woman from Munich...”
The wax method would work OK until Ben leaves the tablet in his chariot with the windows rolled up in the summer. I'd go with the clay option.
Today:
A medieval wooden notebook with wax pages (known as a wax tablet) typically costs between ($20) and ($75), depending on the size, craftsmanship, and included accessories. These sets usually include a hinged wooden tablet filled with beeswax and a stylus for writing and erasing...
Back in the day:
A medieval wax notebook would have cost between (2 to 5 pence) in 14th-century England. Because a skilled artisan earned about (5 pence) per day, this means a standard reusable wax tablet was very affordable—costing anywhere from half a day’s to a single day’s wages. The pricing breakdown provides excellent context for what dictated these values:
Materials: Basic wood and beeswax were cheap. A craftsman could easily make one at home or buy the materials from a local market.
The Stylus: The writing tool was a separate expense. A basic bone, wooden, or simple iron stylus would cost about (1 to 2 pence). A more ornate brass or bronze stylus could raise the price slightly.
*Money goes as follows:
1 pound (L) = 20 shillings (s)
1 crown = 5 shillings
1 shilling = 12 pence (d)
1 penny = 4 farthings
1 mark = 13s 4d
The French Livre, sou, and denier are equivalent to the pound, shilling and penny (Latin liber, solidus, and denarius).
*https://medieval.ucdavis.edu/120D/Money.html
Thx.
We have a winner!!!
Here I sitteth, broken’d of heart...
Ironically, he was developing a proposal for a city sewer system for Munich. Earlier in the day he was seen munchen on something that gave him the trots.
Thank you.
😆
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
