Citizenship could be granted by the emperor for services rendered to the state or at the request of influential friends. In one letter Pliny asks Trajan to extend citizenship to a doctor whose treatment had healed Pliny of a serious ailment (Ep. 10.5). At the same time, he requests citizenship for two “freedwomen.” Could women be Roman citizens? Yes, they could. Although it did not entitle them to vote or hold office, they could enjoy the same protection against prosecution under the laws of another