Marisia - Maros Megyei Múzeum Évkönyve 34-35. (2014-2015)
Articles
Medieval stili from Romania 109 a significant number of inscriptions on the walls of historic monuments, which can he considered products of special writing tools. Based on Roman finds the most frequent writing tools from the archaeological inventory were the bronze, iron or bone stili. About the ones made from wood has not been written, although theoretically, it would’ve been the easiest to make by adding a metal needle to a handle. These cannot be recognized undoubtedly but only in the presence of supports for the ‘scratched’ writing, which are the so-called wax tablets. In the Apuseni Mountains a few wax tablets were preserved, which supplement the history of writing in Roman Dacia.14 Although mentioned, some of the diptychs (- book covers or other elements, for religious use) were recorded only for their exterior decoration, without mentioning that their interiors were designed for waxed fields, which subsequently deteriorated or were simply thrown away for not having any artistic value. In our historiography, discussions concentrated only on the tools, while it was known that any clergyman or clerk should have had wax tablets, and they were also used in schools and correspondence.15 Real provincial data on the post Roman stili are of a very late date.16 'Ihe situation is different in Europe, where writing on waxed surfaces is well documented, including through iconographic representations that start with the 12th century.17 One of the most relevant images of writing on medieval wax tablet can be found on the Oltenberg altar in Darmstadt, dated around 1425.18 The above described motivations forced us to diligently cover the tools used for writing. As a consolation, this is also how things went in the research of the Roman period. From here, we have the first methodological warning. As I have mentioned before, the immeasurable delay of medieval archaeological studies lead, in the case of Alba Iulia, to the automatic classification of all the finds of such tools or which seemed to resemble these, as the Roman heritage of Apulum.19 In the lack of careful reading of these 14 Among the latest studies, Volo^ciuc 2007, 60-61, with older bibliography. 15 Jakó - Manolescu 1971, 34. As illustration, a corpus of tablets taken over from a German environment from outside Transylvania, was used (p. 52, fig. 15). 16 Teutsch 1928, 230. 17 Solton-Koscielecka 2005, 225-228, illustration at p. 228, fig. 3. 18 Image replicated by Mellinkoff 1993, III 79. 19 Ciugudean 1997; Bounegru - Bodog 2012, 88-89; Marcu-Istrate 2009, 25 - the piece that interests us was pages it can easily happen that this phenomenon lives on. Regarding Middle Ages, to find an identic writing tool in Romania looked almost impossible. In fact, it is not more than a simple orientation problem of the research. Due to the various possibilities of production from different materials, one should not expect to find writing tools exactly identical but made from different materials. For example, only in the case of some of the bronze rods/holders small terminal holes were found, sometimes supplemented/associated or not with clamping rings20 which continued with fragments of chains.21 These are the only indication that in this way they could have been tied to writing tablets. This is perfectly plausible for all stili since, these were probably made from perishable materials (from cloth to strings), thus avoiding their unexpected loss. It should first be set that writing tools made from silver,22 which belonged to prelates and aristocrats will have to be placed on a waiting list. Fikewise, it seems that lead was also among the materials used for production.23 Not long ago, in a preliminary introduction to these pages, I already drew attention to some handles or fragments of parts that could have been extracted from old writing tools, from Vinfu de Jos (Alba County).24 We can write it as an excuse that neither in Hungary the identification of such objects was successful from the beginning.25 On a general level, in the case of bone artefacts, as it had been written the risk to confuse them with other tools is quite high, especially if only fragments are available; the tip can come from a nail, pricker or needle, and its other end could come from a medical or cosmetic tool.26 Basically, with the typology fever, the writing tools for/in wax or other less durable materials, were already wilfully deconstructed in writing tips, fastening rods and heads for erasing.27 As mentioned above, each production material classified as a ‘probe spatula’, from bronze; 237/7. 20 Lungershausen 2004, Taf. 20. 21 Krabath 2001,666, Taf. 12/1-2; 667, Taf. 13/1, 3. 22 Solton-Koscielecka 2005, 229. 23 See a tip at: Bakay 2011, 351, fig. 1354. As we mentioned in the text, the metal tips could also be used for writing on paper or parchment. 24 Rusu - Märginean 2005, 128. 25 See: Czeglédy 1988, 68, fig. 47/d (although fragmentary and unfit for sewing, were identified as ‘needles’). 26 Krabath 2001, 231; Bitterli-Waldvogel 2006, 130. A medical tool from bone, 16th century, also see: Vándor 2002b, 189 cat. 240. 27 One of the first typologies was made by Medvedev 1960, 76-78.
