Medieval Wax Notebook Found in German Latrine Excavation

A palm-sized notebook made of leather, wood, and wax, dating from the 13th to late 14th century, was discovered in a medieval latrine in Paderborn, Germany. The excavation, conducted earlier this year ahead of a municipal building construction, uncovered five latrines beneath early modern structures. The damp, airtight conditions preserved the notebook exceptionally well; conservator Susanne Bretzel of the Archaeology for Westphalia (LWL) noted the wood had not warped and the wax remained intact with legible Latin script. Eight of ten pages are double-sided with wax, allowing the owner to write and erase with a stylus. Initial analysis suggests the notebook belonged to a merchant for tracking business and quick notes. Researchers are transcribing the cursive Latin text and plan to use advanced technologies to recover older impressions. The leather binding features embossed lilies, a medieval symbol of purity and royalty. The latrine also yielded barrels, a knife, pottery, basketry remnants, and silk fabric pieces possibly used as toilet paper. In the 13th–14th centuries, the site abutted an abbey and a main square, housing upper-middle-class residents. Lead archaeologist Sveva Gai hopes to link the notebook to a specific plot and resident through archival research. City archaeologists suspect the notebook fell into the latrine accidentally.