Roman Women Wrote Business Documents
On a wooden tablet dug from a trash heap in Roman London, a woman named Claudia Severa invites a friend to her birthday party—written in her own hand, not just dictated.
Unknown — "Bronze statuette of a Lar" (1st–2nd century CE), public domain
Birthday Invitation on a Roman Tablet
Archaeologists in Roman London uncovered a wooden tablet, scribbled with a birthday invitation from Claudia Severa to her friend Sulpicia Lepidina. The letter, scratched in ink, reveals warm, everyday details—right down to the RSVP.
Women Wrote Their Own Letters
Unlike Greek tradition, some Roman women could read, write, and even handle business. The handwriting shifts mid-invitation—experts say Claudia herself took over the pen for the closing lines, signing her name in a personal touch.
Roman women, at least among the elite, could read and write and handled their own correspondence—even business and party invitations. Wax tablets from Roman Britain prove it: lines penned in a distinctly feminine style, sometimes signed with a flourish. We know Claudia’s voice today because she wrote it herself, not through a scribe.
