The first handwritten documents from Roman Britain were found in London
In short: Archaeologists have unearthed a collection of 405 waxed writing tablets that provide a rare, intimate look at the daily lives of London's earliest residents.
Discovered during excavations for Bloomberg, these tablets date from AD 50-90 and offer a glimpse into the formal and business aspects of early Londinium. The collection includes the city's first financial document, dated 8 January 57, alongside business letters, contracts for transporting provisions from Verulamium, loans, and even complaints.
Dr. Roger Tomlin's work on these texts identifies 92 specific residents, including merchants, brewers, soldiers, slaves, and freedmen. The find is significant because it reveals the legal and commercial infrastructure of the first decades of Roman Britain, moving beyond mere ruins to actual human voices.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Roman London's First Voices - Dr Roger Tomlin
- Also: Roman London
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