Tanais tablets are small, flat objects that people used a long, long time ago to record information. Think of them like really old-fashioned iPads! These tablets are special because they were found in a place called Tanais, which used to be a city in what is now modern-day Russia.
The tablets were made out of different materials such as clay, wax or metal. People would use a little metal stylus to write on the wax or metal tablets, or use a sharp tool to carve into the clay. That way, they could keep track of things like how much food they had, what kind of animals they owned, or even write a letter or tell a story.
What makes these tablets so important is that they give us a peek into what life was like a really, really long time ago. They tell us what people ate, how they dressed, and how they spoke. Some of the tablets date back to almost 2,000 years ago!
Today, these tablets are studied by historians and archaeologists to help us understand more about the people who lived in Tanais and similar cities of that time. Through them, we can learn about the past, and maybe even teach us something new about our own lives today!