A Roman writing instrument from the 2nd century is exhibited at the Unirii National Museum in Alba Iuliatranslated

The National Museum of the Union (MNU) in Alba Iulia hosts during the month of November a bronze stylus from the 2nd century, which was used in Antiquity for writing on waxed tablets.

The artifact was found through the preventive archaeological research discovered following the destruction of a Roman sarcophagus with an inscription by a private company, carried out near the Municipal Cemetery in Alba Iulia in 2023.

The piece is intact and has a different setting compared to the other writing instruments in the museum's collections.

How the stylus was used The opening took place on November 3 and was presented by researcher George Bounegru.  Photo: Facebook / National Museum of the Alba Iulia Union The tool has a sharp end, used for incising letters into the wax layer, and a flattened end for erasing mistakes and smoothing the surface.

"The pieces in this category, called styli (stylus in the singular), were used for writing on waxed tablets," state the representatives of the National Museum of the Alba Iulia Union, in a post published on Facebook.

"It has three components. The writing end, the shaft, and the end...