LEADER 05059nam 2200673Ia 450 001 9910458031703321 005 20210916024500.0 010 $a0-674-03837-1 024 7 $a10.4159/9780674038370 035 $a(CKB)1000000000396498 035 $a(SSID)ssj0000103308 035 $a(PQKBManifestationID)11131238 035 $a(PQKBTitleCode)TC0000103308 035 $a(PQKBWorkID)10061106 035 $a(PQKB)10255918 035 $a(MiAaPQ)EBC3300295 035 $a(Au-PeEL)EBL3300295 035 $a(CaPaEBR)ebr10314307 035 $a(OCoLC)923110350 035 $a(DE-B1597)574356 035 $a(DE-B1597)9780674038370 035 $a(EXLCZ)991000000000396498 100 $a19890412d1989 uy 0 101 0 $aeng 135 $aurcn||||||||| 181 $ctxt 182 $cc 183 $acr 200 10$aAncient literacy$b[electronic resource] /$fWilliam V. Harris 210 $aCambridge, MA $cHarvard University Press$d1989 215 $axv, 383 p 300 $aBibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph 311 0 $a0-674-03381-7 311 0 $a0-674-03380-9 320 $aIncludes bibliography and index. 327 $tFront matter --$tPreface --$tContents --$tAbbreviations --$tPART ONE Introduction --$t1 Levels of Greek and Roman Literacy --$t2 The Functions of Literacy in the Graeco-Roman World --$tPART TWO The Literacy and Illiteracy of the Greeks --$t3 The Spread of Literacy in Archaic Times --$t4 The Classical Growth of Literacy and Its Limits --$t5 The Hellenistic State and Elementary Education --$tPART THREE Literacy and Illiteracy in the Roman World --$t6 Archaic Italy and the Middle Republic --$t7 The Late Republic and the High Empire, 100 B.C.-250 A.D. --$t8 Literacy in Late Antiquity --$tConclusion --$tBibliography --$tIndex 330 $aHow many people could read and write in the ancient world of the Greeks and Romans? No one has previously tried to give a systematic answer to this question. Most historians who have considered the problem at all have given optimistic assessments, since they have been impressed by large bodies of ancient written material such as the graffiti at Pompeii. They have also been influenced by a tendency to idealize the Greek and Roman world and its educational system. In Ancient Literacy W. V. Harris provides the first thorough exploration of the levels, types, and functions of literacy in the classical world, from the invention of the Greek alphabet about 800 B.C. down to the fifth century A.D. Investigations of other societies show that literacy ceases to be the accomplishment of a small elite only in specific circumstances. Harris argues that the social and technological conditions of the ancient world were such as to make mass literacy unthinkable. Noting that a society on the verge of mass literacy always possesses an elaborate school system, Harris stresses the limitations of Greek and Roman schooling, pointing out the meagerness of funding for elementary education. Neither the Greeks nor the Romans came anywhere near to completing the transition to a modern kind of written culture. They relied more heavily on oral communication than has generally been imagined. Harris examines the partial transition to written culture, taking into consideration the economic sphere and everyday life, as well as law, politics, administration, and religion. He has much to say also about the circulation of literary texts throughout classical antiquity. The limited spread of literacy in the classical world had diverse effects. It gave some stimulus to critical thought and assisted the accumulation of knowledge, and the minority that did learn to read and write was to some extent able to assert itself politically. The written word was also an instrument of power, and its use was indispensable for the construction and maintenance of empires. Most intriguing is the role of writing in the new religious culture of the late Roman Empire, in which it was more and more revered but less and less practiced. Harris explores these and related themes in this highly original work of social and cultural history. Ancient Literacy is important reading for anyone interested in the classical world, the problem of literacy, or the history of the written word. 606 $aClassical languages$xHistory 606 $aLiteracy$zGreece$xHistory 606 $aLiteracy$zRome$xHistory 606 $aCivilization, Classical 606 $aLanguage and culture$zGreece 606 $aLanguage and culture$zRome 608 $aElectronic books. 615 0$aClassical languages$xHistory. 615 0$aLiteracy$xHistory. 615 0$aLiteracy$xHistory. 615 0$aCivilization, Classical. 615 0$aLanguage and culture 615 0$aLanguage and culture 676 $a302.22440938 700 $aHarris$b William V$g(William Vernon)$0209722 801 0$bMiAaPQ 801 1$bMiAaPQ 801 2$bMiAaPQ 906 $aBOOK 912 $a9910458031703321 996 $aAncient literacy$934004 997 $aUNINA