21st Century Ancient Technology

Ed tech is hardly a new thing.  We have sought physical tools to aid students in their learning and in the production of new ideas from what they have learned since the dawn of time.  Do you think touch screen tablets in classrooms, a hallmark of 21st century classrooms about which school boards and administrators brag to the public, are evidence of our brilliance over past ages?  They are but updated versions of the wax tablets used by the ancients, and often for similar educational purposes.

Ancient Greek alphabet practice on wax tablet (teacher's version at top, student's at bottom)

Modern English alphabet on iPad

Many would argue that with the advent of the latter, the former serves no purpose in the contemporary classroom, yet one of the things that the pandemic has taught us is that people learn best from immediate interactions (see, for example, here and here).  The word "immediate" means "without anything between."  In a language class, we strive for ever greater levels of immediacy.  We bring authentic artifacts into the classroom and even lead trips to places where the languages being taught are spoken.  In the Latin class, I would love to have a time machine so my students and I could experience the ancient world directly, but until that becomes a reality, we must make do re-creating that world here and now.

My first-year Latin students recently had the opportunity to do just that as they explored paleography and ancient writing materials.  Having spent the past three months being introduced to Latin grammar and vocabulary, it was time for them to experience the written form of those words as the Romans would have read and written them.

The University of Michigan has an excellent site that allows us to explore the physical aspects of ancient Roman writing, so on the first day of our paleography project, that is what we did.

Ancient writing materials at University of Michigan

Slide show on papyrus making at University of Michigan

Examples of paleography and how to decipher it at University of Michigan

After working their way through these examples, becoming astounded at what Latin actually looked like in ancient times, the students began to decipher various texts that I had prepared in what is called Old Roman Cursive.  Using a paleographic font that accurately represents handwriting samples from antiquity, I had typed up several familiar passages of Latin from their textbook.  As they began transcribing what at first appeared as gibberish, they slowly began to recognize the texts, which made further transcription easier.  After that, it was time for these students to write in Old Roman Cursive.  Once again I had prepared bits of text from their textbook that they tried to copy using the strange, but by then increasingly familiar alphabet.

It was then time for the students to begin making and using their own replica ancient writing implements.

Whittling a Roman stylus from a dowel rod produces a lot of shavings!

I had cut dowel rods into 6" lengths, and with craft knives the students were quickly able to carve them into a stylus.  One end had to be pointed for writing on the wax of the tablets they would be using, and the other had to be whittled flat for erasing or smoothing out the wax if mistakes were made.

Melting crayons to pour into wooden frames

Wooden frames that I had constructed awaiting their molten wax

In preparation for the next part of the project, I had prepared small wooden frames.  These were simple 6"x6" pieces of board with narrow strips cut and glued along the edges to hold the wax in place.  The next step was to melt crayons and fill the frames.  In past years I have done this with the students at school, but time and space constraints would not permit that this year.  Fortunately my wife was a good sport about letting me use our own kitchen!

The fun part started when students began writing in the wax tablets using their own styli!  They had picked a Latin text that we had read* and that had particular meaning for them, and this was what they then set about copying using Old Roman Cursive.

It is always interesting to see students using their phones or computers for the Latin texts that they are copying.  It is the perfect mix of ancient and contemporary ed tech!  As you can see, the students end up producing something very similar to that of the people whose language and culture they study from two thousand years in the past.

Ancient tablets on the left, examples of my students' work on the right

As much fun as the students have creating and working with replicas of ancient writing materials, and as much fun as I have watching them have fun, I am perhaps even more intrigued by what they write about the project in their final reflection.  For this part of the project, they must write about the challenges they experienced learning to read and write Old Roman Cursive, challenges in making and using the implements, and what insights they gained into the practice of producing words in print, both in the ancient world and today.  Here are a few of their thoughts.

The main problem is that I wasn't really writing, but more printing the letters on the paper. It felt as if a machine was doing it. As I went on though it got more "personalized" and became "my" Roman handwriting.  Sam

I have learned a lot about the Roman writing and their materials. Their alphabet is missing some of the English letters and they have precise lines and curves. Romans shared their words in many different ways. They used wax tablets, broken pottery, papyrus and many different materials. It made me think more about modern writing and to be honest our ways are great and innovative and easy but not as fun and interesting as the ancient Romans.  We have phones and online text with many characters and moving gifs to share and the Romans had an extensive process to write when making papyrus and wooden styli. The English letters may be more organized and clean, but it is still very interesting to look back on the ways Romans used to write.  Bella

Modern writing and ancient Roman writing are similar but still different in their own ways. A lot of the letters are very different between the two, like the letter A. However, they also have very similar letters, like O. Ancient Roman writing was also different in the way that it was done. For example, some Romans used wax tablets and a wooden stylus. The Romans had to whittle down a stick in order to create a stylus so they could write, thus making them have it a bit harder. In modern writing, we use things like paper, pens, and technological devices to write. Jaysi

First we learned all the ways that the Romans made their writing materials, and none were as easy as going to Target and getting a 24 pack of pencils. The Romans had to really put in a lot of effort just to make a thing to write on which means that when they had to write something it was probably important. This project took me 2 classes to make an engraving with 9 words on it and it makes you think about how long it took them to hand print those Bibles and make all of those writing materials. James

I have now learned how delicate writing used to be for the ancient Romans. Roman paleography helped me understand that it is a privilege to have pen/paper let alone texting. Roman writing is significantly harder than modern English to write because of the complex letters. Ancient Roman writing is also a lot harder to decipher due to a lack of punctuation compared to modern English.  Gavin

So, there you have it.  Students of the 21st century are gaining appreciation for an ancient culture and a better understanding of one of the most common tasks in our own era through the use of relevant ed tech.  And the advantage of these tablets is that they don't have to be plugged in!

To see this project in action, take a look at our video.

* Now that I am teaching at a Catholic school, many of my students chose a Latin verse from the Bible as their significant text to copy onto the wax tablets.  What follows are some of their reflections on why those chose the verses they did.

John 1:4 - I choose this verse because I believe it is a powerful message. It tells me that Jesus is our light in the darkness and to look for him whenever we are lost, almost like the north star in the sky.

I chose Matthew 11:28 because I often have anxiety about the chaos going on in life be that my relationships, work, or school. My mom always tells me to give my anxieties to Him and in this verse I feel as though Jesus is talking to me. I also chose Matthew 28:19 because I think I have noticed God calling me to help people see Him. I am a part of the Evangelization team at my Church and I like talking to people about my faith.

I chose the John 10:10 verse because I've always been so grateful to be a Catholic and to have Jesus in my life. As Jesus said in the quote he didn't just come so that we may life, but he came so that we could have it to the full. I always wonder what it would be like to not know Jesus and to not be raised as a Christian because we are so lucky. Ever since my confirmation I have been very involved in my faith and it has honestly made my life some much better just knowing and loving him. For example in 7th grade I was having a rough time and when I started praying more often, becoming more involved in the mass, I became so much happier. That is why I choose that quote.

I picked the verse, "Venite ad me omnes qui laboratis, et onerati estis, et ego reficiam vos.  (Matthaeum 11:28)", because it is calling all those who work to come to God and find rest. Personally I consider myself a busy person, juggling two competitive sports, four younger siblings, homework, and just high school in general. It is comforting to hear that there is someone to go that that will give me rest. Someone out there who in the moment expects nothing of me except that I come to Him.

I chose this Bible verse (John 1:3) because it reminds me of how God created the sun and the mountains, all the animals on earth, He makes the beauty of the world. This verse makes me think of how the same God who paints beautiful sunsets and sunrises everyday made me as well. He created all the astonishing wonders of the world, and I really love mountains and lakes and sunsets and all parts of nature. So this verse reminds me that the same God who created all that and much more, created me. It reminds me of a quote I once read that said "Isn't it amazing that the same God who created the mountains and oceans, knew the world needed one of you."

I chose this text because it explains that Jesus is the most powerful. In English, it means "All things were made through Him, and without Him, nothing was made that was made." This is inspiring because it helps me realize that Jesus is truly the Son of God. 

I picked this verse (Matthew 15:8) because I liked what it said and it was relatable. It said these people honor me with their lips but their hearts are far from me. I feel like this a lot, I can go to church, pray, and others things but if my heart isn't honoring Him it doesn't matter. I think it is a good reminder to reflect on this verse and remember that honoring God is more than your actions, and going through the motions, it's just as much of importance to have a heart that honors him.

I chose this Bible verse (John 10:10), because it is a wonderful representation of why Christ came to save the world. When Jesus says, "I have come that they might have life and have it to the full," it shows his amazing love, and kindness. He did not want all human beings to live on earth, to suffer their whole life, then when they die they are still separated from God. Jesus wanted to give a purpose and a "fullness" of life for all eternity. I love this verse, and I still chant this in my head randomly around my house, since the day we learned it. It also makes me happy to know that following God gives us all the possibility of eternal life.

This (Matthew 11:28) is one of my favorite Bible verses. I love how it shows comfort in knowing that we can place all of our burdens in Christ. I have struggled in the past with feeling that I am alone and that no one is able to help me. This verse from the book of Matthew reminds me that I am not alone and I will always have Jesus Christ by my side no matter the circumstances.