I guess we have to take their word for it. 
All I see is some termite holes and scratches. I’m amazed these didn’t get tossed in the dumpster during excavation.
You see any writing there? All I make out are a couple crude M’s. But they easily could just be scratches.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/2-000-old-handwritten-documents-found-london-mud-122936073.html?nhp=1
I can make out ‘A B C D’ in the top left, above the ‘missing’ section, and definitely ‘M N’ (and possibly ‘O’) just below it.
They are scratches. They’re where the writer penetrated to the wood through the wax. As is explained in the article you are so skeptical of. Also, they’re written in Latin, not English. I’m uncertain as to why one photograph of one tablet makes you better able to judge the find than the experts are.
This is the only part that bugs me: “One tablet carries the date Jan. 8, A.D. 57, …” I wish they’d said what the actual reading of the date was that they assigned to 57 AD.
I’m not questioning what the Experts are saying.
I’m just not seeing writing that I expected. Usually its easy to see. like this tablet I can’t read the language but anyone can see at a glance that theres writing there.
Anyway, its a cool discovery.
I’d like to see scans of the wood tablets. Theres techniques they can use to bring out even the faintest traces of writing. I hope they post them.
Much like they posted scans of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
According to the BBC it’s:
In the consulship of Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus for the second time and of Lucius Calpurnius Piso, on the 6th day before the Ides of January (8 January AD 57).I, Tibullus the freedman of Venustus, have written and say that I owe Gratus the freedman of Spurius 105 denarii from the price of the merchandise which has been sold and delivered. This money I am due to repay him or the person whom the matter will concern
Actually, I’d be more amazed if they did get tossed in the dumpster. With London being such an historically sensitive city, it’s almost mandatory for any works to be preceded by an archaeological survey, and a lot of projects have an attached team of archaeologists. For example:
In the link above you’ll find the following (bolding mine) :
That’s a much better article. Thanks!
Yes, there’s a lot more detail in the BBC article. Thanks
And remember that the estimated value of the artifacts discovered is a donation, so it can be deducted from their taxes. They might even be able to deduct the costs of the archaeological survey or the attached team as a tax writeoff.
2000 year old tablets, eh? Let me run them through my special image enhancer.
Just as I thought - signed by Mel Brooks.
As noted, the tablets were filled with wax. The writers were not trying to write into the wood.
And, of course, the wood has probably decayed a bit.
Here’s a good introduction to wax-based note taking:
The BBC also has a good article about the earlier excavations too.
Great stuff.
