12-28-2004, 03:39 PM
<em>Even though I now understand what the office is, I am still not understanding what this mark would have signified on this particular tablet?</em><br>
<br>
Don't worry, if you don't ask, you don't find out! It probably means (in other words we don't know for sure;-) that it belonged to the office or post of the <em>procurator</em> (it interestingly doesn't actually mention his <em>officium</em>, which would more be in the sense of his staff) and be the property of the (non-military) procuratorial officials, rather than those belonging to the (military) <em>legatus</em>. This is verging on the grey realm of definitions (eg no such things as a governor per se in the Roman system, no such thing as a province as a geographic entity etc).<br>
<br>
To cut a long story short, it would be reasonable to see it being used by the <em>procurator</em> (or rather his scribe!) or somebody directly employed by or appointed to him to do the financial business of the province of Britannia.<br>
<br>
In reality, as in most bureaucracies, they were probably used to write tedious memos or bad poetry during boring meetings. To a Roman, the wax tablet was the equivalent to a PDA today or the PADD in Star Trek... only the games really sucked (unless you happened to like Mould The Wax Into Rude Shapes).<br>
<br>
Mike Bishop <p></p><i></i>
<br>
Don't worry, if you don't ask, you don't find out! It probably means (in other words we don't know for sure;-) that it belonged to the office or post of the <em>procurator</em> (it interestingly doesn't actually mention his <em>officium</em>, which would more be in the sense of his staff) and be the property of the (non-military) procuratorial officials, rather than those belonging to the (military) <em>legatus</em>. This is verging on the grey realm of definitions (eg no such things as a governor per se in the Roman system, no such thing as a province as a geographic entity etc).<br>
<br>
To cut a long story short, it would be reasonable to see it being used by the <em>procurator</em> (or rather his scribe!) or somebody directly employed by or appointed to him to do the financial business of the province of Britannia.<br>
<br>
In reality, as in most bureaucracies, they were probably used to write tedious memos or bad poetry during boring meetings. To a Roman, the wax tablet was the equivalent to a PDA today or the PADD in Star Trek... only the games really sucked (unless you happened to like Mould The Wax Into Rude Shapes).<br>
<br>
Mike Bishop <p></p><i></i>
