Pictures: What Roman tablets found in London dig tell us
- Published
Archaeologists have discovered over 400 Roman tablets at a dig site in London, including the oldest handwritten document ever found in Britain. The wooden tablets were buried around a river in London, and the soaking mud helped to preserve the messages in the wood. Timber buildings and Roman streets were also discovered on the site.
The wooden tablets had words carved into them during Roman times. They were well preserved by the wet mud that stopped air from getting in and making them rot.
Now, historians have been able to work out what some of the writing means.
They say the tablets give information about the first years of the city of London, in the words of the people who lived, worked and traded there. They include information about money and schools from the first Roman Britons.
The letters on this tablet show part of the Roman alphabet: "ABCDIIFGHIKLMNOPQRST". Archaeologists believe it could be from someone practising writing, and might be the first evidence of Roman schooling found in Britain.
Researchers believe this tablet, from almost 2,000 years ago in AD 65/70-80, is the earliest example of writing about London ever found. It says "Londinio Mogontio" which translates to "'In London, to Mogontius".
This tablet is thought to be from AD 43-53, which was the first 10 years of Roman rule in Britain.
- Published17 April 2016
- Published15 March 2016
