A Medieval Notebook Found in a German Latrine Sat Underground for Nearly 800 Years
Archaeologists in Paderborn, Germany, discovered a medieval wax tablet notebook dating back 700 to 800 years during excavations beneath a latrine. The notebook, likely belonging to a merchant, contains handwritten notes in Latin and is unique for its preservation. The find offers insights into everyday life and literacy in the medieval period, as such informal writings are rarely found.
- ▪The notebook was found during construction work for a new city administration building.
- ▪It consists of ten wooden pages coated in wax, allowing for reuse and writing with a stylus.
- ▪The preservation of the notebook was aided by the damp, airtight conditions of the latrine.
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You might expect archaeologists digging through a medieval latrine to uncover broken pottery or scraps of fabric, but not a notebook still full of writing. Yet during excavations beneath the center of Paderborn, researchers uncovered a small wax tablet book containing handwritten notes that survived underground for roughly 700 to 800 years.The palm-sized notebook, discovered during construction work for a new city administration building, appears to date back to the 13th or 14th century and may have belonged to a merchant jotting down transactions, reminders, or daily thoughts.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Discover Magazine.
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