ABSTRACT
When we seek the women of Britain in the period of the Roman Occupation, we still have few written sources on which to draw, but the women are now not virtually anonymous. The names of some have been recorded in stone on tombstones and altars, and on metal artefacts and curse tablets; a few are mentioned in the letters found at the Roman fort at Vindolanda; and still others are known through their husbands who were Roman officials in Britain. This chapter deals with women who are known to us by name. Their rank or status can sometimes be ascertained from the inscriptions themselves, while for others it can be presumed on the basis of the position of their male relatives. For the rest of the female population, however, we are still heavily dependent on archaeological evidence, and particularly that from burials.
