Reconstruction of a Roman inkwell and stylus
Reconstruction of the Roman inkwell and the rilca (stilus). The writing instrument was based on a find from Vindolanda, a Roman camp located in Britain, between the rivers Tyne and Solway. The simplest Romans usually wrote on wooden tablets covered with wax. The wooden plates found in Vindolanda are considered the oldest handwriting in Britain.
The size of such a plate matched larger leaves of trees, and was made of birch, ash or oak. The ink, in turn, was made of coal mixed with arabic gum and water. Preserved tablets allow to better understand the life of contemporary, ordinary people.
