Claudian letters

[3] Their forms were probably chosen to ease the transition, as they could be made from templates for existing letters.

He may have been inspired by his ancestor Appius Claudius the Censor, who made earlier changes to the Latin alphabet.

[4] Claudius did indeed introduce his letters during his own term as censor (47–48), using arguments preserved in the historian Tacitus' account of his reign, although the original proclamation is no longer extant.

Suetonius said of Claudius' letters: Besides this he [Claudius] invented three new letters and added them to the alphabet, maintaining that they were greatly needed; he published a book on their theory when he was still in private life, and when he became emperor had no difficulty in bringing about their general use.

These characters may still be seen in numerous books, in the [state] registers, and in inscriptions on public buildings.