Perpetua

Perpetua, a woman of royal birth, was martyred for her faith in ancient Carthage (modern day Tunisia) in AD 203. She wrote The Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity, a journal recounting her trial and imprisonment that was continued by a contemporary who described Perpetua’s death in the arena. Both her martyrdom and its account have been highly revered by ancient and modern Christians. Her text is one of the rare surviving documents written by a woman in the ancient world.