Refill, Reuse, Recycle? Reusing Wax Tablets in the Roman North-western Provinces

Roman wax tablets were easy to reuse but also rigid and sealable, making them suitable for a wide range of text types from ephemeral drafts to lasting legal documents. Individual tablets moved between these two spheres when they were reused for different purposes. This chapter explores this versatility through the ways in which reuse manifests in tablet finds from the Roman north-west, through the superimposed texts they preserve but also through the tablets’ morphology. Such evidence of reuse can help us trace the different roles Roman wax tablets played, tell us about challenges faced and solutions found by those who used and reused them, a