KOMPAS.com \u2014 A mishap in a toilet nearly 800 years ago has become an\nextraordinary boon for modern science. Archaeologists in the German city\nof Paderborn have recovered an ancient candle-wax-bound notebook that\nfell into a medieval latrine and survived in pristine condition. The\nten-page notebook, handwritten in cursive Latin, is believed to have\nbelonged to a wealthy trader of the medieval era. It is thought to have\ncome loose and fallen accidentally around eight centuries ago\u2014most\nlikely when the owner was cleaning himself with luxurious silk cloth in\nthat toilet.<\/p>\n
According to official statements issued by the Westphalia-Lippe\nRegional Association (LWL) on May 12, the team excavated five medieval\nlatrines that were sealed tightly and airtight. The anaerobic\n(oxygen-free) conditions were the key reason why various organic objects\nwithin, which would normally have decayed over time, have been preserved\nso well.<\/p>\n
The existence of this valuable artefact was not immediately\nrecognised. When the laboratory team conducted routine cleaning of items\nfound at the site, experts realised that what initially looked like a\nmundane clod of earth was in fact a small leather container with a lid.\n\u201cEven after centuries underground, the latrine find still carries a\nsomewhat unpleasant odour,\u201d said Susanne Bretzel, a conservator at LWL\nin a formal statement, cited by Live Science.<\/p>\n
The pocket-sized notebook measures about 8.6 by 5.5 centimetres. The\nsmall book was safely stored inside a leather container that was\nslightly larger, complete with a fleur-de-lis motif decoration. Of the\ntotal pages in the notebook, eight pages have two writing sides, while\ntwo pages have only a single side. All page surfaces are coated with\nwax, a medium commonly used in antiquity to write with a stylus.<\/p>\n
Within the wax sheets, experts detected many lines of text written in\ncursive Latin. However, reading is not easy because some text is written\nover earlier lines and runs in different directions. \u201cIndividual words\ncan be recognised, but the transcription will take a long time, as some\nwords may have been damaged,\u201d explained Barbara R\u00fcschoff-Parzinger, an\narchaeologist and head of cultural affairs at LWL.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/a-glimpse-into-the-medieval-ancient-toilet-archaeologists-find-an-800-year-old-notebook-1779542698", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }