Ancient equivalent of tablet computer found in Turkey dig
Source: ancient-origins.net
Archaeologists digging at the ancient archaeological site of Yenikapı in Turkey have uncovered a wooden notebook, a Byzantine invention which they say is the ancient equivalent of a tablet computer. The 1,200-year-old wooden tablet was found in the remains of a ship that sunk in what was once known as Theodosius Port in the ancient Constantinople and probably belonged to the ship’s captain.
The rectangular object opens up like a notebook and has a sliding cover with removable tablets inside on which notes could be taken by using wax. One of the internal levels had spaces in which weights could be inserted and used as an assay balance. Assay balances were used either to determine the content of a precious metal (usually gold) in an alloy, thus establishing the fineness of the latter (usually in carats or per cent). Or the determination of metal content (usually in per cent) in an ore. We call it the “miracle of Yenikapı,” said the project team member Associate Professor Ufuk Kocabaş.
The sunken ship upon which the notebook was found, has been named Yenikapı 12. The ancient wreck was in a good state of preservation, with 60 percent of the ship still intact. “Considering the amphoras in it, the ship’s route was the Black Sea. We estimate that it dates back to the 9th century and engaged in trading from Crimea to Kersonesos,” said Kocabaş. A research team from Istanbul University is working to restore the ship, with the aim of having it functional by 2015.
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