800-year-old notebook and fancy silk toilet paper discovered in medieval latrine in Germany
Archaeologists in Germany have uncovered an 800-year-old wax notebook and a leather satchel in a medieval latrine. The notebook, featuring Latin cursive writing, is believed to have belonged to a merchant who may have dropped it while using silk toilet paper. This discovery sheds light on the preservation of organic artifacts in sealed latrines from the medieval period.
- ▪The notebook measures about 3.4 by 2.2 inches and contains wax pages for writing with a stylus.
- ▪It was found in Paderborn during construction work and is dated between the 13th and 14th centuries.
- ▪Experts are working to translate the Latin text, which includes lines written in various directions.
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Archaeology 800-year-old notebook and fancy silk toilet paper discovered in medieval latrine in Germany Archaeologists recovered the 10-page wax notebook with Latin writing and its leather carrying case from a medieval latrine in Germany. By Kristina Killgrove published 20 May 2026 in News When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. The inside of the tablet reveals Latin writing on the wax surface. (Image credit: S. Brentführer/Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe (LWL)) Copy link Facebook X Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Archaeologists have excavated a perfectly preserved wood-and-wax notebook in a leather…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Live Science.
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