RomanArmyTalk

Ave Civitas,

I know that drafts of letters were written on waxed tablets with a stylus. I don't know what was used to put ink to paper.

I believe that the quill was an invention of much later centuries. I know modern pen nubs have a fine groove that holds ink as it is written on the page, but what did Romans write with and are there any images or examples online for me to see?

Thanks,
Tom

It seems a reed pen called a calamus was most commonly used:

Smith's Dictionary - CALAMUS

They apparently got blunt quite quickly, but were easy to re-cut.

Here's a modern reproduction, although I have no idea of its accuracy:

Here is a pic for you - Left: Reed pen with a split nib from the Roman Era in Egypt circa 1st Century AD. On the right Styli (three stylus pens) used in the Roman Empire c2nd Century AD. (Photo by Universal History Archive/Getty Images) I use a reed pen myself, but iron nibs area also common.

http://cache3.asset-cache.net/gc/1134913...zsiA%3D%3D

Ave,

Excellent. Thanks for the picture and the link.
Tom

Thank you Caballo.
Unfortunately, I don't have access to:
cache3.asset-cache.net/gc/113491347-left...3nIxL9Tu8NzsiA%3D%3D
But the picture and article that Mr. Ross sent will be just fine.

Tom

Yes, the reed and styli pic seems unviewable. Is there any other way to see it? Thanks!