Roman wooden writing tablets from Belgium deciphered

"Traces of writing on the wooden remains of Roman wax tablets found in Tongeren, Belgium, have been deciphered. They reveal new information about the city on the northern edge of the Roman Empire, including who lived there, the presence of high-ranking officials that have rarely been recorded in northern provinces and some proper names that have never been found before."

"The tablets were deciphered by archaeologist and inscription expert Professor Dr. Markus Scholz at Goethe University Frankfurt. He and his team made headlines in December 2024 when they deciphered the 3rd century Frankfurt Silver Inscription, revealing the tightly rolled sheet of silver to be the earliest archaeological evidence of Christianity north of the Alps. Thought to be the oldest city in Belgium, Tongeren was founded as the military fort of Atuatuca Tungrorum in around 10 B.C."

"After the legions left during the reign of Tiberius (14-37 A.D.), the city continued to grow and prosper. Atuatuca Tungrorum did suffer at least three major fires, one in the 1st century, one in the 2nd and one in the 3rd, but by the 4th century it was in decline, under pressure by Germanic invaders from across the Rhine. A heavier defensive wall was built at that time, but it was unable to keep out the Huns"

Traces of writing on wooden remains of Roman wax tablets from Tongeren, Belgium, have been deciphered and yield new names and evidence of high-ranking officials rarely recorded in northern provinces. The tablets were read by archaeologist and inscription expert Professor Dr. Markus Scholz at Goethe University Frankfurt, whose team previously deciphered the 3rd-century Frankfurt Silver Inscription in December 2024. Tongeren began as the military fort Atuatuca Tungrorum around 10 B.C., attracted Tungri civilians after the legions departed under Tiberius, endured multiple major fires, declined by the 4th century under Germanic pressure, and suffered destruction by the Huns in 451 A.D. Wooden tablet fragments were first recovered in the 1930s.

Read at www.thehistoryblog.com