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Accessories for finishing and editing: sponge
(spongea) and pumice (pumex)
Roman authors mention sponges for erasing texts written with ink.
Martial jokingly sends his work to a patron along with a sponge so
that it can be rendered inoffensive (Mart. 4.10.5–8), and according
to Suetonius, Augustus used to tell friends that the ‘Ajax’ that he
had been trying to write had succumbed to the sponge (Suet. Aug.
Fig. 49: Penknife from Augusta Raurica (Switzerland) with a spoon 85.2). Remains of sponge have been found inside inkwells from
handle, 40–80 CE. Augusta Raurica, inv. 2009.058.F01382.1. Cologne and Pompeii (Wasgestian and Quarg 1986, 179; Garcia y
From Fünfschilling 2012, 217 pl. 4 (detail). © Augusta Raurica.. Garcia 2005, 135). A sponge may also be depicted on a funerary
relief from Istanbul dating to the 1st century BCE (Pfuhl and Möbius
1979, no. 2271, image also in Schaltenbrand Obrecht 2012, 30 fig.
15), but the rounded object next to other writing equipment could
also be a pumice.
A hemispherical pumice stone with marks of use was found in the
Fig. 50: Roman penknife with iron blade and ivory so-called Tomba dello scriba (scribe’s grave) in the necropolis of the
handle from the Bloomberg site, London (UK). From Via triumphalis in Rome (Steinby 2003, 108 no. C7.h with pl. 22.2).
Tomlin 2016, 277 fig. 139 no. 6471. © MOLA. Pumice is sometimes thought to have been used as an eraser (e.g.
Eckardt 2018, 35, and see Prop. 3.1.8), and it may have served to
sharpen pens as well (Dickey 2015, 50 and Anth. Pal. 6.65), but
Roman authors mostly refer to its use for smoothing their book
Further reading:
pages, i.e. papyrus.
Božič 2001c; Božič and Feugère 2004, 37-39; Fünfschilling 2012, 182–184
Further reading and images:
Selected ancient literary evidence:
Sponge: Garcia y Garcia 2005, 135; Wasgestian and Quarg 1986
Tacitus (Ann. 5.8) recounts how Publius Vitellius harmed himself with a Pumice: Dickey 2015, 50; Eckardt 2018, 35; Steinby 2003, 108
penknife and Suetonius (Vitell. 2) describes the same incident. The Anthologia
Palatina mentions the penknife (6.64) as well as stones for sharpening Also see: fig. 1 (Atimetus/Epaphra); fig. 3 (Berlingen); fig. 12 (S. Egidio)
pens (6.64 and 65).
Selected ancient literary evidence:
Sponge: Martial (4.10.5–8) sends a sponge along with his book and Suetonius
(Aug. 85.2) records that Augustus said that his Ajax succumbed to the
