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2. Social aspects of literacy and writing

ho wrote in the Roman world? The current discussion
Wsurrounding this question still largely happens in reaction
to Harris’ seminal book on ancient literacy from 1989. His estimate
that a maximum of 10% of the population was able to read and write,
even in the most ‘Romanized’ areas, was largely based on lapidary
epigraphic and literary evidence and on the lack of infrastructure
such as an institutionalised school system. Considering the wealth
of non-lapidary and archaeological evidence for writing, many
scholars now think that while Harris’ observations about high levels
of illiteracy remain relevant, his vision downplays the widespread
nature of literacy in the Roman world. The more recent scholarly
discussion has moved away from trying to quantify literacy and
on to exploring different kinds and standards of literacy and their
place within society (e.g. Woolf 2015).
The great variety of texts that survive from Roman antiquity
reflects the different kinds of writing that happened in different
environments and for different purposes – much as is the case
today: it ranges from composing literature to copying or writing
down dictated texts such as letters, writing for record-keeping,
reporting and accountancy, for labelling goods, for everyday use
such as shopping lists or jokes (see Volume 1). Researchers agree
that writing touched almost all aspects of life in the Roman empire
in one way or another. Even for the illiterate this will often have Fig. 4: Professional scribae: so-called ‘ara degli scribi’ from Rome
happened through economic activities (handling coins for example) (Italy), early 1st century CE. AE 2014, 109, Terme di Diocleziano,
and the bulk of writing must in fact have been produced in military, inv. 475113. By permission of the Ministero per i Beni e le Attività
administrative and economic contexts. Culturali e per il Turismo – Museo Nazionale Romano.