Ordinary Romans posed with writing tablets to look educated
The tablets sat in a wooden frame and came with a pen for writing in wax.
Ancient Rome Live · Daily Life in Ancient RomeModestly wealthy Romans posed for portraits holding their wax writing tablets to look educated.
In surviving paintings, from a woman alone to a couple, the sitters are shown holding the same object. It is a tabella, wax tablets set in a wooden frame, shown with a pen for marking the wax. The wax could be smoothed flat and used again, like an erasable notepad for everyday writing.
Including the tabella in a portrait signaled learning and standing in Roman life.
Questions people ask
How did a wax tablet actually work?
A tabella was usually two or more wooden boards with a shallow layer of beeswax on the inner faces, hinged or tied together. You wrote with a pointed stylus, then smoothed the wax flat to erase. The outer wood protected the writing when the boards were closed.
Could ordinary Romans read and write?
Many did, at least enough for business, though rates are debated. Shopkeepers, traders, bankers, and craftsmen needed to keep accounts, sign receipts, and record loans. Portraits with writing gear suggest literacy itself was admired, not just useful.
What kind of pen did they use on wax?
A sharp tool, usually metal or bone, called a stylus. One end was pointed for writing, and the other was flat and wide for smoothing the wax. People also used ink and reed pens on papyrus for longer or more formal writing.