Claudia Severa

Claudia Severa was a literate Roman woman, the wife of Aelius Brocchus, commander of an unidentified fort near Vindolanda fort in northern England.^[1] She is known for a birthday invitation she sent around 100 AD to Sulpicia Lepidina, wife of Flavius Cerialis, commander at Vindolanda. This invitation was discovered in the 1970s and is probably the best-known item of the Vindolanda Tablets.^[2] The letter was written partly by a scribe and partly in Claudia's own hand. The Vindolanda Tablets also contain a fragment from another letter in Claudia's hand. These two letters are thought to be the oldest extant writing by a Roman woman found in Britain, or perhaps anywhere.^[3]

Display of letter

The Vindolanda Tablets are on display at the British Museum. The invitation was acquired by the Museum in 1986 (Registration number: 1986,1001.64).^[3]

References

1. ^ Alan Bowman and David Thomas, Vindolanda: the Latin writing tablets, London: Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies, 1983, pp. 256
2. ^ Mount, Harry (2008-07-21). "Hadrian's soldiers writing home". The Daily Telegraph (www.telegraph.co.uk). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/personal-view/3560809/Hadrians-soldiers-writing-home.html. Retrieved 2011-02-23. "The real prize of the Vindolanda tablets, though, are the earliest surviving letters in a woman's hand written in this country. In one letter, Claudia Severa wrote to her sister, Sulpicia Lepidina, the wife of a Vindolanda bigwig - Flavius Cerialis, prefect of the Ninth Cohort of Batavians: 'Oh how much I want you at my birthday party. You'll make the day so much more fun. I do so hope you can make it. Goodbye, sister, my dearest soul.'" 
3. ^ ^{a b} "Search object details: Wood writing tablet with a party invitation written in ink, in two hands, from Claudia Severa to Lepidina.". British Museum. 2011-01-24. http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/search_the_collection_database/search_object_details.aspx?objectid=1362732&partid=1&searchText=Claudia+Severa&numpages=10&orig=%2fresearch%2fsearch_the_collection_database.aspx&currentPage=1. Retrieved 2011-02-08. 

External links

• Vindolanda Tablets Online: Correspondence of Lepidina: tablets 291-294

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Name	Severa, Claudia
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