Roman Inscribed Wooden Tablet Group

Late 3rd-early 4th century AD. A bifacial wooden tablet fragment group comprising: (i) a rectangular panel or tabula fragment with recess to one face, eleven lines of inked cursive text to one face; (ii) a rectangular panel with smoothed surfaces, Side A: seven lines of cursive inked text; Side B: six lines of similar text, with losses due to abrasion. For examples of wooden tabulae re-used as writing surfaces, see Thomas, J. D., Vindolanda: The Latin Writing Tablets, Britannia Monograph Series No 4, London, 1983; for examples of testamentary documents on wooden tablets that have survived, see FIRA III, p.47, for Anthony Silvanus from 142 AD and see BGU VII, 1695, for Safinnius Herminus; for another from Transfynydd, North Wales, see Arch. Camb. 150, pp.143-156. See Rothenhoefer, P., Neue römische Rechtsdokumente aus dem Byzacena-Archiv / New Roman Legal Documents from the Byzacena Archive, (forthcoming"). 26 grams total, 16.1-19.1cm (6 1/4 - 7 1/2"). Ex Monsieur Alain Sfez collection, Belgium; acquired by gift from his father Albert Sfez, 1965; acquired by Albert in the early 1950s. Wooden tablets were used as administrative documents (contracts, testament, etc.) by civil and military clerks, or simply for correspondence. The contract followed standard Roman legal formulae. Our wooden wax tablets (tabula cerata) were as usual used many times (e.g. the Bloomberg tablets from Roman London), and show traces of repeated use. [2]
Condition Report: Fair condition.