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Historical background Wax tablets (tabulae ceratae) were the everyday notebooks of the ancient and medieval world. Reusable and far cheaper than papyrus or parchment, they were used for notes, messages, calculations and learning to write, from Roman antiquity through the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance. The pointed end of the stylus inscribed the wax, the flat end smoothed it clean again.

This set is based on real objects. The wax tablet form is documented in Roman frescoes from Pompeii (National Archaeological Museum of Naples). One stylus reproduces a Roman example (1st century BC to 1st century AD) bearing the Latin inscription AMORI ARS MEA CVM STVDIO PROCEDET; the other a medieval bronze stylus (14th century).

The Roman stylus reproduces an inscribed example from Rouffach (France), studied by archaeologist Michel Feugere. Its inscription, AMORI ARS MEA CVM STVDIO PROCEDET, is an aphorism spread across the four faces of the stylus. Read literally, the stylus speaks to its user: "my skill advances love through dedication", that is, "thanks to me and the letters I write, you can make progress in love". Following G. E. Thury, it can also be read more suggestively, ars then meaning the art of love itself.

Made with archaeological rigor Created by a 3D artist with a master's degree in archaeology, and built from documented historical sources and real-world reconstructions.

What's inside

• Stylus 1: bronze, based on a real medieval object (14th century)

• Stylus 2: bronzed, based on a real Roman stylus from Rouffach, France (1st century BC - 1st century AD), bearing the Latin inscription AMORI ARS MEA CVM STVDIO PROCEDET.

• A wax tablet, open, with a Latin inscription

• A wax tablet, closed (meshes identical to the open version)

• 2 texture sets (wax tablet / styluses), PNG 16-bit / TGA

• Texture sizes up to 8192 px

Intended use Light enough for real-time use, while the high-resolution textures (up to 8192) also make it ideal for close-up renders, film and museum visualization. A perfect desk prop for Roman, medieval and Renaissance scenes.

A note on accuracy The model is faithful to its historical sources; the exactness of every single detail is not guaranteed.

More researched ancient & heritage models in my store.