Using the toilet to write a message is nothing new: we've just discovered an intact medieval notebook in a latrine

Archaeologists in Paderborn uncovered a rare intact medieval notebook made of wood, leather, and wax in a latrine.

Experts date the reusable writing tablet to the 13th–14th centuries and believe it likely belonged to a literate merchant.

The oxygen-free, damp conditions helped preserve the find, along with other household remains from the same site.

The discovery offers direct evidence of literacy, trade, and urban life in a wealthy medieval neighborhood.