Tablets covered in beeswax, in which writing was traced by means of a stylus, are known to be in use since Roman times. The stylus has a sharp point at one end to scratch the marks in the wax, its other end is often flat, spatula-shaped, to smooth the wax again, rubbing out the marks, ready for new writing. Styluses with this shape are found in Roman as well as medieval contexts. This bone example is very small, and was probably meant for a child.

dimensions: 75 x 10 mm

provenance: Haarlem (NL)

date: 15^th century AD