A wax tablet is a tablet made of wood and covered with a layer of wax, often linked loosely to a cover tablet, as a "double-leaved" diptych. It was used as a reusable and portable writing surface in antiquity and throughout the Middle Ages. Cicero's letters make passing reference to the use of cerae, and some examples of wax-tablets have been preserved in waterlogged deposits in the Roman fort at Vindolanda on Hadrian's Wall. Medieval wax tablet books are on display in several European museums.
Wax tablet and a Roman stylus
Writing with stylus and folding wax tablet. painter, Douris, c. 500 BC (Berlin).
Roman scribe with his stylus and tablets on his tomb stele at Flavia Solva in Noricum
Waxes are a diverse class of organic compounds that are lipophilic, malleable solids near ambient temperatures. They include higher alkanes and lipids, typically with melting points above about 40 °C (104 °F), melting to give low viscosity liquids. Waxes are insoluble in water but soluble in nonpolar organic solvents such as hexane, benzene and chloroform. Natural waxes of different types are produced by plants and animals and occur in petroleum.
Commercial honeycomb foundation, made by pressing beeswax between patterned metal rollers.
Ceroline brand wax for floors and furniture, first half of 20th century. From the Museo del Objeto del Objeto collection
Wax candle.
A wax coating makes this Manila hemp waterproof