HUM / REL 293 - Beginning Latin
Course Notes - Week 4
Legal Documents
In the Cambridge course sections Hermgenēs and in basilicā reference is made to cera - "wax"
Legal documents and contracts were written on wax-covered boards, and signed by each party to the transaction, by pressing his seal into the wax. One such tablet, from Caecilius' house, is illustrated on page 11 of the textbook.
Seals were used instead of signatures, and were often made into rings so that the owner could wear them wherever he went. Some seals are shown on page 67.
In the last lesson of this book, Caecilius lies dying in the ruins of Pompeii. He sends his ring to Quintus, who will become the new head of the family.
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