Roman writing tablets in Tongeren reveal daily life 2,000 years ago
The Gallo-Roman Museum in Tongeren, Limburg province, has presented the results of years of research into more than 85 Roman wooden writing tablets found in Tongeren and dating back to the third century AD. These are the oldest writing tablets ever found in Belgium.
The Romans used wax-coated wooden tablets to record administrative and legal documents, letters and school exercises. Some texts refer to the management of real estate or legal matters. The texts were scratched into the wax and the underlying wood with a wooden stylus with a metal tip.
The wooden writing tablets were found during excavations at two sites in Tongeren. In 1930, 73 tablets were discovered at a Roman settlement site, near a temple complex. The twelve other writing tablets were excavated in 2013 at the bottom of a well.
Together, the tablets form an urban archive that provides direct access to everyday life and demonstrates that people were familiar with administration and writing from an early stage. Thanks to extensive research and the use of innovative photographic techniques, an international team of experts was able to decipher some of the scribbles on the tablets.
It is striking that all the writing tablets are broken in two, and only half of them were found. They are thought to be deeds, contracts and other legal documents. One tablet mentions the word usura (interest), possibly a reference to a loan or debt. Another contains a text about a veteran's benefit or pension. An inscription refers to public religious ceremonies, possibly the sacrifice of a sheep.
Multicultural society
In addition, the researchers also found references to officials such as lictores (escorts of high magistrates), a decemvir (local magistrate) and vigiles (night watchmen/police). These are positions whose existence in this region had not previously been demonstrated.
The tablets furthermore paint a picture of a complex and multicultural society. They show that the inhabitants spoke Latin, Celtic and Germanic at the time, but used Latin exclusively for administrative purposes.
The full research and results can also be found in the book The Writing Tablets of Roman Tongeren (Belgium) and Associated Wooden Finds, published by Brepols.
#FlandersNewsService | The Gallo-Roman Museum in Tongeren © PHOTO ARTERRA + Video of a press moment about research into Roman writing tablets © BELGA VIDEO MARC DIRIX
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