Female Networks in Military Communities in the Roman West: A View from the Vindolanda Tablets

Abstract

This paper illuminates the character of the communities that surrounded military units in the Roman West by taking a close look at the Vindolanda tablets and the individuals represented in this corpus. Attention is given particularly to the women that appear in the Vindolanda community and how their presence can be reconciled with the traditional view of the Roman army. The paper explores the important role played by women in preserving continuity and normality for families that joined soldiers far from home for military service. It examines the character of the military community with tablets suggesting that daughters remained within the military sphere by marrying fellow soldiers. The letters plainly support that some soldiers maintained strong ties with women and families during service and provide useful evidence for the prominent social role of at least upper-class women living amongst the Roman army. Keywords:military communities; military service; Roman army; Roman West; Vindolanda tablets; women

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