Tabula ansata bookmark nameplate
Don’t forget anything with the Tabula ansata bookmark!
The Tabula Ansata
Today there are official traffic- and city limit signs, labels and instruction tags – for the people in the Roman Empire, this was the Tabula ansata. Translated the term means “tablet with handles” and describes a special kind of tablet. At first, the Tabulae ansatae were intended for the use of the military and sacred institutions, symbolizing the highest governmental presence. Tablets like that are found across the entire imperial realm. Later, the strict rules of usage of these special tablets were more and more relaxed and profaned.
Tabulae ansatae of late antiquity are found with private individuals, merchants and civilians. These tablets were available in various sizes. From the small tablets on the protective shields of the legionnaires – marking their unit affiliation – to several meters high and long Tabulae ansatae, proclaiming imperial regulations and orders.
Bookmark Tabula Ansata
This bookmark made from real Egyptian papyrus is the ideal occasion to challenge your own creativity. The empty tablet just so screams for an individual inscription, thanks to the papyrus the bookmark is surrounded by an aura of antiquity. Let your imagination run wild and design this Tabula ansata either in the style of an official declaration, a private announcement or as a mosaic. History offers enough inspiring examples and suggestions.
- Size: 19 x 5 cm
- Real Egyptian papyrus
- Suited for pencils, watercolors and acrylic paint
Original Tabula Ansata
You can take a look at several well-preserved tablets in several German museums, especially those located in former Roman provinces. The bigger exemplars of these tablets were mostly made of stone, while the smaller, handy sized tablets were made of bronze. The museums of the Limes Germanicus for example, are filled with military tabulae, which reveal various orders, proclamations, declarations and unit affiliations.
Examples for use in class
This bookmark is made from real Egyptian papyrus and shows an empty tablet. It is great for letting children or pupils design and inscribe these tablets individually. Let your pupils write their own proclamations on the tablets or show the children how they can design the tablets in terms of color. Remnants of color on the original tablets are proof of the thesis, that these tablets were colorful so they could be seen from a great distance. Traces of yellow color were detected on the margins of official tablets. The engraved letters were colored in red; this resulted in a bright, well-readable sign, which most people alive during antiquity would immediately associate with the official authorities of the Roman Empire.
Tabulae ansatae (the Latin plural) were also used for mosaic floors.
Forum Traiani ®
