IndexIntroductionWho knew how to read and write in ancient Rome and how did they learn?ConclusionBibliographyIntroductionThere are two widely shared views of literacy in ancient Rome. Some like Longfeld believe that literacy was widespread thanks to graffiti written by the common man, to quote HH Tanzer, "everyone could read and almost everyone knew, and apparently wrote." This however does not appear to be true as it has been estimated that less than 15% of the Roman population was actually literate, and even fewer were literate in the sense in which the word is used in the modern sense. Semi-literacy was more common, with basic reading comprehension and the ability to write in capital letters being a skill boasted by those of the lower classes. Who could read, however, largely depended on class, as the quality of education a Roman citizen could receive was decided by the tutors he could hire, or by his already educated family. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Who knew how to read and write in ancient Rome and how did they learn? The emphasis on literacy, and therefore education, was not huge in ancient Rome's late republic. These were the times when oral tradition still reigned, the scribes were not a working class but only referred to poets and clerks. Craftsmen sometimes signed their work with their name and indicating the recipient of the object, there was some understanding of reading and writing among the traders. Largely, however, literacy was limited to the patricians of the upper classes and those who wanted to rise in the social order. This shows the connection between literacy and influence, this is further supported by the difference in literacy levels in urban versus rural areas. As the urban population grew, literacy was necessary for the increasing complexity of commercial and political relationships. Clerk work was often performed by slaves or freedmen. The lack of profit in these fields of work has not provided many with enough initiative to learn to read and write. The rural population on the other hand was largely illiterate due to more casual business dealings and lack of need for documents. The lack of widespread literacy among the common man was largely due to the cost of equipment. Papyrus was expensive in Rome itself and became increasingly rare and expensive as one moved further north into the territories. Writing was not used in everyday transactions as they were small scale, and public announcements often included instructions that were to be read aloud in the forum (Harris 161), clearly benefiting those who were not literate. This was most likely done by those in political positions as in the 4th century BC council members needed to be able to read to adequately convey new laws or impending changes in the political sphere. As was stated previously, whether a person could read or write depended largely on their placement in the class system. Running an upper-class household required that at least some slaves be literate to interpret instructions given by the master (Harris 197). The slave overseer was literate and consequently stood on a more elite level. This is not to say that slaves were routinely taught to read and write by their masters, literacy varied depending on the family they worked for. Slaves oftenthey taught the children of the house to read and write, many spoke multiple languages ​​fluently, but were taught Greek and Latin. Greek prisoners were often specifically targeted to be forced to tutor the children of higher Roman families. Freedmen who had previously been teachers or tutors often continued to do the same work, many of the highest jobs in education being held by freedmen. Plebeians had the lowest literacy level. The rich had easy access to education and there was no profit in expanding education and therefore there was no need to educate the masses. This is not to say that semi-literacy was not a skill among common people. When written ballots came into use, around 130 BC, ballot initials were required. Some ballots included answers and one simply had to be crossed out while others had to be filled out completely by the voter. The existence of this meant that either the majority of Roman common people were literate, or the elites used the lack of literacy to limit people's opinion, we know it is the latter. There is evidence that workers are capable of writing, during the construction of the Tarentum aqueduct a man recorded the names of his collaborators present on certain days. Letter writing was also used by the lower classes, especially when the empire began to expand. Legionaries wrote letters to their families while on duty, although it is not known for certain whether they were written by the soldiers themselves or dictated. Literacy was recognized as a way to rise in a social sense, “Habet hacc res parem” translated to This Thing Has Bread in It referred to the fact that there was money to be made from those who could read and write (Harris 202 ). It is clear that few used writing heavily in their daily lives, there was a basis of understanding tied to reading, but costs and standardized instruction remained a barrier to anything else. The Army operated largely without written instructions, but often incorporated them anyway. various ways. Night guards in urban areas had to memorize a written password, but this is not evidence of literacy among rank-and-file soldiers, officers and centurions who came from wealthy families were often the ones who used writing. Literacy in the army corresponded almost exclusively to military rank (Harris 255). In both urban areas and military stations literacy was used more than in most areas due to the class mix and the wealthy acting as something to aspire to. Especially in the army, a communication network that stretched for kilometers was needed, orders were still given orally but plans were transmitted in writing. Tradesmen and skilled workers used writing to varying degrees. Everyday shopkeepers did not need to keep records of goods sold. Trade carried out over long distances commonly involved the sending and receiving of letters (Harris 202). Architects were recommended to be literate to transmit plans and order building materials. 153 wax tablets were recovered from the house of a financial agent named L. Caecilius Iucundes. They were preserved from the 79 AD eruption at Pompeii and record large transactions. There is also evidence that he writes receipts for some of his clients. Graffiti written on wood, which otherwise would have been lost, were also recovered in Pompeii. There was a social function of writing employed by the wealthy, or at least by those who influenced the popular culture of the time. Oftenadvertisements for chariot races and other entertainment were used, so the emphasis was on attracting people through the written word, another way to exert influence. The rich were expected to be literate. A patrician without the ability to read and write would have been considered almost a barbarian. Being literate was not a real necessity as a rich person, but rather a social necessity, they had slaves to write down everything they needed, but being literate was a demonstration of their wealth and background. Guardians of families had to be literate, even if other family members were, if they themselves were not literate they could not legally be the head of the family. It was within the family that the children of the wealthy were educated, whether by slaves, guardians or their parents. Both boys and girls were educated, an educated woman was a sign of a good background and therefore more attractive. However, they also married early, often in early adolescence, and this, combined with the lack of standardized education, meant that semi-literacy was again more common. Literacy was a prestige and this attitude prevented its spread; in schools for the rich the different patrician classes (children of knights and senators for example) were educated together. It was not a guarantee that all rich people were educated, the newer rich probably did not receive an education at the same level as those from older families. Books were written by elites due to their extreme cost and also the way they were crafted. The books often drew inspiration from Greek sources and were intended for small social circles, not the broader public. How a Roman was taught depended entirely on class position. Within the elite there was a range of options, private tutors, taught by parents or sent to private schools. Cato taught his son himself, not wanting his son to answer to a slave. This was rare, however, as fathers often served in the military at the time children were being educated, even more children required a greater number of guardians. If the father was dead then the mother was responsible for the education of the children, Cornelia daughter of Scipio Africanus personally took on the guardians of her children but also took part in the teaching. This shows his level of education (Bonner 15). The tutors themselves were sometimes erudite poets, who used their own texts in their curriculum but this was the exception rather than the rule, many tutors simply interpreting the works of others rather than creating their own. Standard education in primary schools was more rigid, providing that the children of the working population were taught very basic Latin and Greek. There was a concentration on letter recognition, this was done both visually and audibly, mixing sound and form but not written (Bonner 166). This repetition as a form of teaching also involved passages of texts such as legal texts such as the 12 tables, the group attitude of this form of teaching encouraged competition between students. Syllables in passages of poetry were marked to aid pronunciation and speaking. As for writing, students began by receiving a wooden tablet, without wax, on which to trace the letters already engraved on it (Bonner 167). The shapes had to be recreated and said aloud, this was done several times and then the students moved on to writing the letters themselves on wax tablets. Once the capitalization form was known, the students were moved to italics, there was a record of an inferior citizen who 86 (2005).