2,000-year-old writing tablets found at a London building site documented early Roman London inhabitants.
They look like ordinary wood planks with random engravings, but archeologists said that they are important and among the most ancient handwritten texts discovered in Britain. They also contain the earliest reference to London — "Londinio Mogontio."
Over 400 writing tablets were excavated 400 meters (0.24 miles) east of St. Paul's Cathedral. The planks of wood were buried in waterlogged ground and had brief description of London in its initial 40 years of existence.
Unearthing Roman London
The excavation was part of the construction phase of Bloomberg's European headquarters and has revealed a trove of ancient Roman ruins.
The tablets were thin tiles with a recessed area filled with beeswax for writing. Much of the beeswax deteriorated, but indentations of the early handwritings remained intact on the wood. Much of the early texts were preserved because they were covered with wet mud, which protected it from oxygen that could possibly erode the tablets.
The manuscripts reveal the multicultural nature of early London, which complements the DNA analysis of the skeletons found earlier in a Roman cemetery in Southwark.
There were mentions of Proculus the haulier, Tertius the brewer, Tibullus the freed slave, Crispus the innkeeper, Optatus the food merchant, Junius the barrel maker, Classicus the lieutenant colonel, Rusticus the bodyguard and Florentinus the slave.
Based on the names and text evidence, most of the first London inhabitants were Celts from Britain or Gaul, Lusitanians and Germans.
The tablets also revealed the political status of London. One document dated 22 October, 76 AD was a decision carried out by a judge appointed by an emperor.
The mention of personal bodyguards of governors indicates that London has a special status where governors were mostly based. The writing tablets paints a picture of London as a center for finance and commerce, as many of the documents discovered were lists of loans and debts.
One of the artifacts found was London's oldest financial document dated 8 January, 57 AD, which is a record of a 105 denarii (£10,000 or US$14,433 in modern equivalent terms) debt.
Aside from the writing tablets, the archeologists also unearthed more than 15,000 artifacts including 50 Roman buildings.
Romans were a great part of London's history, as they helped lay down the foundations of the city.
Decoding Early Londoners
The wood, possibly due to constant reuse, had several layers of writing and proved to be a challenge to decipher.
Oxford University Roman history lecturer and expert in Latin cursive writing Dr. Roger Tomlin took on the challenge and used raking light technology, photography and microscopic analysis to study the texts.
"I am so lucky to be the first person to read them again after more than 19 centuries, and to imagine what these people were like, who founded the new city of London," Tomlin said.
He also said that the writing tablets are very valuable relics that provide early history of Roman Britain, particularly London.
Upon completion of the Bloomberg building in 2017, the ancient writing tablets and more than 700 artifacts would be displayed in a public exhibition space.
The full research is published in Museum of London Archeology on June 1.
