Excavations were carried out in connection with the construction of a new administrative building in the city of Paderborn in North Rhine-Westphalia. During the work, archaeologists under the supervision of the Regional Association of Westphalia-Lippe (LWL) discovered the notebook in one of five exposed medieval latrines.
Dr Barbara Rüschoff-Parzinger, LWL’s Director of Culture, stresses that this is a unique find and adds: "Unusual as it may sound, latrines are often extremely rich sources of material for archaeologists."
