About this object
-
ID:
1336
Production date:
Medieval; 13th-15th century
-
Location:
In Store
This bone stylus is missing part of its metal tip, which has been inset into the bone. It has a globular head, and one small ridge underneath. The shaft is straight and displays no decoration. Styli and wax tablets were used for writing as early as the Classical Greek period, and this stylus is medieval. They served many purposes, such as writing school exercises, correspondence, legal records and any composition. It was much cheaper than using paper at the time, and reusable too. The head of the stylus acts as the eraser; this was done by rubbing the head back and forth over the wax. The function of these medieval objects has been debated; it has been suggested that they could not only be styli, but also markers for transferring patterns for embroidering, or parchment prickers. This was to prepare parchments for writing on; the pricker marked the equally spaced horizontal lines.
-
Measurements
L 83 mm; W 6 mm
-
Materials
bone
-
Last Updated
2024-03-14
Record quality:
Not every record in Collections Online is complete. Some have low quality images designed purely for recognition, while some have been catalogued only to a basic standard. This graphic is designed to give you an impression of the quality of data you can see. 100% meets all our current data standards and has a high quality image, 20% is a basic record with no image. Individual record quality can change over time as new photography is carried out and records are worked on.
X