Literacy

Abstract

Roman Britain illustrates the possible limits of literacy in the provinces. Most of the graffiti scratched on pottery derives either from military sites or from towns, just as most of the names written on tiles and bricks before they were fired are Roman names, most of them probably soldiers. Writing played a number of important roles in the life and working of the Roman army in Britain, yet it seems hardly to have penetrated the countryside, except in the form of milestones and at rural sanctuaries like Uley. Documentary evidence provides the surest guide to literacy levels in any society. A degree of uniformity in the way in which the Roman military used writing, whether on papyrus or wooden writing tablets, is perhaps the least surprising aspect of the unity. This chapter discusses the extent to which the empire itself was sustained by and generated texts. Non-military uses of writing are known primarily from Roman Egypt.

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