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Greek Writing Tools

Writing tools have been constantly evolving over the ages, from scratching the surface of moist clay tablets with bone or bronze 4,000 years ago to the fountain pen and Biro. The ancient Greeks used a number of writing tools to record, depending on the surface that was being written on.
  1. Reed Pen

    • The reed pen was used by the ancient Greeks for writing on papyrus parchment with ink. Similar to a quill, it was constructed by carving a dried river reed. This was for permanent writings which were then made into scrolls, an idea passed onto the Greeks by the ancient Egyptians.

    Brush

    • Greek scribes used a reed brush with ink for writing on pottery. This has been shown by Greek pottery discoveries and the nature of the typography.

    Hammer and Chisel

    • A hammer and chisel was used for writing on stone or marble. Greek letters carved in this way show no evidence of differences in the thickness in the lines of the individual letters in comparison to the later Roman writings.

    Improvements on the Greek Tools

    • The next major European civilization was the Roman empire. The Romans adopted the Greek methods, changing the style of carving with broad-edged tools and also introduced the wooden tablet covered in wax written on with a stylus as a non-permanent form of writing tool.

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