Learning resources / Everyday life
Object study · Reading and writing
Read a Roman birthday invitation
A message written around AD 100 offers a way to explore friendship, handwriting and the lives behind a Roman fort.
Meet the object
Claudia Severa sent Sulpicia Lepidina an invitation to celebrate her birthday on 11 September. The letter was found at Vindolanda and survives as ink on thin wood.
Open the scholarly edition to see the tablet image, Latin text and English translation. Most of the message was written by a scribe; Severa added the closing greeting in her own hand.
Look and question
- Who is sending the letter, and who is being invited?
- What does the sender hope her friend will do?
- Which details suggest that the two women know each other well?
- Can you find the change of handwriting? Use the edition’s notes to check your answer.
- How is this invitation similar to a message you might send today? What is different about its material and appearance?
Try it yourself
Write an invitation to someone you know. Include a greeting, the occasion, a date and a personal closing. Then compare the parts of your message with the ancient letter.
In a pair or group, ask one person to write the main message and another to add the final greeting. Discuss what a future reader might learn from the two different hands.
What can one letter tell us?
List three things the tablet tells you and three things it leaves unanswered. Separate a detail present in the letter from an idea you have inferred.
Sources and further reading
Romans in Britain · People · Places · Learning resources