2,000 year old letters discovered near Hadrian's Wall

[Scott Anderson]

One of the letters was written by a man called Masclus, who is best known for a previous letter to his Commanding Officers asking for more beer, this time asking for leave from work.

Masclus is an ancient Roman name that roughly translates to "Sgt. Bilko."

www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4682074/A-cache-25-personal-Roman-letters-discovered-pit.html

[Deleted]

2000 year old "paper" and our paper unless made to be "acid-free" is not very durable. Paper was pretty durable until the late 19th century (1850's on) and much of the 20th century, when they switched to production methods that resulted in paper that would barely make it 100 years turning yellow and becoming brittle. "Acid-free" paper that is manufactured for quality is believed to last over 1000 years and average paper about 500 years. Even today not all paper is "acid-free" and most of it is not even "acid-free" by anything other than the accidental property of a cheaper manufacturing change also resulting in "acid-free" paper. That is right, most of our paper is more durable by lucky accident and not the result of an intelligent ethical decision. As it is, neither ethics nor intelligent decision making even enters into the process.

Oddly enough the highest quality paper is made from cotton, not wood.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acid-free_paper

[DungeonDevil]

A "Dear Johannes" letter? Oh boy...

[foxroe]

Jul 10, 2017 19:37:53 GMT -6 @theperilousdreamer said:

2000 year old "paper" and our paper unless made to be "acid-free" is not very durable. Paper was pretty durable until the late 19th century (1850's on) and much of the 20th century, when they switched to production methods that resulted in paper that would barely make it 100 years turning yellow and becoming brittle. "Acid-free" paper that is manufactured for quality is believed to last over 1000 years and average paper about 500 years. Even today not all paper is "acid-free" and most of it is not even "acid-free" by anything other than the accidental property of a cheaper manufacturing change also resulting in "acid-free" paper. That is right, most of our paper is more durable by lucky accident and not the result of an intelligent ethical decision. As it is, neither ethics nor intelligent decision making even enters into the process.

Oddly enough the highest quality paper is made from cotton, not wood.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acid-free_paper

Unless of course you consider the 1st edition AD&D hardbacks. Those darned things will outlast us all!