Stylus

This is a stylus made from bone. It is incomplete; part of the shaft and the metal tip are missing. The stylus has a globular head, with three ridges immediately underneath. The shaft is round and straight. Styli and wax tablets were used for writing as early as the Classical Greek period, and this stylus is medieval. They served many purposes, such as writing school exercises, correspondence, legal records and any composition. It was much cheaper than using paper at the time, and reusable too. The head of the stylus acts as the eraser; this was done by rubbing the head back and forth over the wax. The function of these medieval objects has been debated; it has been suggested that they could not only be styli, but also markers for transferring patterns for embroidering, or parchment prickers. This was to prepare parchments for writing on; the pricker marked the equally spaced horizontal lines.