English: Contract for the sale of a slave girl, Roman London, c.90 CE, dug up at 1 Poultry, London, as decoded by Roger Tomlin. The girl Fortunata was from Gaul, and was purchased for 600 denarii, about two years' salary for a soldier. Her purchaser was one Vegetus, who described himself as the slave of yet another slave, Montanus, himself a slave of the Roman Emperor. Thus Fortunata was a sub-sub-slave. In Rome rich slaves could own slaves of their own.
The material was part of rubbish tipped into the River Walbrook, and consisted of the remains of a writing tablet. The wax had decayed, but the stylus scratches had gone through to the wooden backing and could eventually be deciphered by Dr Tomlin. This is his drawing.
Date
Source
Tomlin, RSO, "'The Girl in question': A New Text from Roman Lond'on", (2003) Britannia 34 at 43
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