Roman writing tablets found in Izernore, France

[guy]

Roman wooden writing tablets were discovered in ancient Isarnodurum (modern-day Izernore, France).

 

🪵 Discovery Context

Excavated in 2020 by Inrap (National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research) at Chemin des Trablettes.

Found in waterlogged wells that preserved organic materials like wood, seeds, and pollen due to the absence of light and oxygen.

The site revealed a mixed-use Roman district combining residential and artisanal zones, including a woodworking workshop.

 

✍️ Writing Tablets: Form and Function

At least 15 wooden writing tablets were recovered, with many in fragmentary condition.

These tablets served as school notebooks, official documents, and financial records, circulating widely across the Roman Empire.

One tablet still bears visible ink inscriptions—a rare survival—currently undergoing epigraphic analysis.

Some tablets were triplex codices, with multiple leaves and hollowed sections for wax or ink writing.

🪚 Evidence of Local Manufacture

The presence of slats, offcuts, and a raw tablet suggests local production, likely using softwoods like fir or spruce.

The workshop also created other wooden items—combs, pyxides (cosmetic boxes), and spindle whorls—using boxwood, ash, hazel, and maple.

The proximity to forest resources allowed craftsmen to work with green wood, which is easier to shape.

🧒 Daily Life and Literacy

These tablets, alongside children's wooden soles and domestic artifacts, reflect a literate, family-oriented community.

 

Roman Craft Workshop Discovered in Ancient Isarnodurum with Writing Tablets Still Bearing Ink and Rare Children’s Wooden Soles

 

Archaeologists Unearth a Roman Woodworking Workshop with Inked Tablets and Children’s Shoes in Isarnodurum - Arkeonews

https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/74289

 

 

 

Edited October 6, 2025 by guy