Claudia Severa

Who is 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. 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. 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.