A rotulus is a type of roll, in which a long narrow strip of writing material (perhaps parchment), written on one side, is wound about its wooden staff. The document is unwound vertically, so that writing parallel to the staff could be read. This is opposed to the other type of roll, the scroll, which bears multiple columns of text, with the lines of writing perpendicular to the staff. If made of papyrus, the writing is parallel to the strips of papyrus on the recto.

A rotulus is a type of roll, in which a long narrow strip of writing material (perhaps parchment), written on one side, is wound about its wooden staff. The document is unwound vertically, so that writing parallel to the staff could be read. This is opposed to the other type of roll, the scroll, which bears multiple columns of text, with the lines of writing perpendicular to the staff. If made of papyrus, the writing is parallel to the strips of papyrus on the recto.