Table of contentsIntroductionWho knew how to read and write in ancient Rome and how did they learn?ConclusionBibliographyIntroductionThere are two widely held views of literacy in ancient Rome . Some, like Longfeld, believe that literacy spread through graffiti written by the common man, to quote HH Tanzer, "everyone could read and almost everyone could write, and apparently did so" . This does not appear to have been the truth, however, as it is estimated that less than 15 percent 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 members of the lower classes. However, who could read depended largely on social class, as the quality of education a Roman citizen could receive was decided by the tutors they could hire or their already educated family. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not 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 on Education, was not huge in the late republic era. This was at a time when oral tradition still reigned, those who were scribes were not a class of workers but only referred to poets and clerics. Craftsmen sometimes signed their works with their name and who the item was intended for, there was some understanding of reading and writing among the traders. However, literacy was largely reserved for upper-class patricians and those who wished to advance in the social order. This shows the link between literacy and influence, this is further supported by the difference in literacy levels in urban and rural areas. As the urban population grew, literacy became necessary to cope with the increasing complexity of commercial and political relations. Clerks' work was often done by slaves or freedmen. The lack of profit in these fields of work did not provide enough initiative for many to learn to read and write. The rural population, on the other hand, was largely illiterate due to more informal trading relationships and lack of need for documents. The lack of widespread literacy among the common man was largely due to the cost of the equipment. Papyrus was expensive in Rome itself and became increasingly rare and expensive as one moved north into the territories. Writing was not used in everyday transactions as they were small scale and public announcements often included instructions that they were to be read aloud in the forum (Harris 161), clearly for the benefit of those who were not literate. This was most likely done by those in political positions, because in the 4th century BC, council members needed to be able to read to correctly convey new laws or upcoming changes in the political sphere. As noted previously, whether a person could read or write depended largely on their position in the class system. Running an upper-class household required that at least some slaves be literate in order to interpret the instructions given by the master (Harris 197). The slave overseer was educated and therefore occupied amore elite level. This is not to say that slaves were regularly taught to read and write by their masters; literacy varied depending on the family they worked for. Slaves often taught the children of the household to read and write, many were fluent in several languages, but it was Greek and Latin that were taught. Greek prisoners were often specifically targeted to be forced to tutor the children of superior Roman families. Freedmen who were previously teachers or tutors often continued in the same job, many of the highest jobs in education were held by freedmen. The plebeians were the least literate. The rich had easy access to education and there was no profit in developing education and therefore no need to educate the masses. This is not to say that semi-literacy was not a skill of the people. When written ballots were used, around 130 BC, the initials of the ballot were required. Some ballots included the answers and you only had to cross one out, while others had to be filled out entirely by the voter. The existence of this meant that either the majority of ordinary Roman people were literate, or the elite used the lack of literacy to limit the opinion of the people, we know it is the latter. There is evidence that workers were capable of writing; during the construction of the Taranto aqueduct, one man recorded the names of his colleagues present on specific days. Letter writing was also used by the lower classes, particularly as the empire began to expand. Legionnaires wrote letters to their families while on duty, although it is unclear whether they were written by the soldiers themselves or dictated. Literacy was recognized as a way to rise in the social sense, "Habet hacc res parem" translating to This thing contains bread referred to the fact that there was money to be made by those who could read and writing (Harris 202). . It is clear that few people used writing much in their everyday lives; there was a foundation of reading-related understanding, but cost and standardized education remained a barrier to any further pursuit. The military operated largely without written instructions, but still often incorporated them into its programs. various ways. Night guards in urban areas were required to memorize a written password, but this did not prove the literacy of rank-and-file soldiers. Officers and centurions from wealthy families were often the ones who used writing. Literacy in the military 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 class mixing and the fact that the wealthy were an aspirational goal. In the army in particular, it required a communications network that stretched for miles, orders were always given orally but plans were transmitted in writing. Tradesmen and skilled workers used writing to varying degrees. Ordinary merchants did not need to keep track of goods sold. Trade conducted over long distances typically involved sending and receiving letters (Harris 202). Architects were recommended to be able to read and write to convey their designs and place orders for building materials. 153 wax tablets were recovered from the housefrom a financial agent named L. Caecilius Iucundes. They were preserved by the eruption of Pompeii in AD 79 and record significant transactions. There is also evidence that he wrote receipts for some of his customers. Graffiti written on wood has also been recovered from Pompeii, which otherwise would have been lost. There was a social function of writing employed by the wealthy, or at least by those who influenced the popular culture of the time. Advertisements for chariot races and other entertainments were often used, so the emphasis was on appealing to the people through the written word, another way of exerting influence. The rich were supposed to be literate. A patrician incapable of reading and writing would have been considered almost barbaric. It was not an actual necessity to be literate as a wealthy person but rather a social necessity, they had slaves to write down whatever they needed but being literate was a demonstration of their wealth and of their origin. Guardians of families must be literate, even if other family members are, if they themselves are not literate, they cannot legally be the head of the household. It was within the family that the children of the rich were educated, whether by slaves, tutors or their parents. Boys and girls were educated, an educated woman was the sign of a good environment and therefore more attractive. However they also married very early, often in early adolescence, which, combined with the lack of standardized education, meant that semi-literacy was once again more common. Literacy was a prestige and this attitude prevented its diffusion, in schools for the rich, the different patrician classes (sons of cavaliers and senators for example) were educated together. The nouveau riche were probably not educated to the same degree as those from older families. Books were written by the elite because of their extreme cost and also the way they were workshopped. The books often drew on Greek sources and were aimed at small social circles, not the general public. How a novel was taught depended entirely on social position. Within the elites there were 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, but because fathers were often serving in the military at the time children were learning, many children also required a larger number of tutors. If the father was deceased, the mother was responsible for raising the children. Cornelia, daughter of Scipio Africanus, personally hired her children's tutors but also participated in their teaching. This shows one’s own level of education (Bonner 15). The tutors themselves were sometimes scholarly poets, employing their own texts in their curriculum, but this was the exception rather than the rule, with many tutors simply performing the works of others rather than creating their own. Standard education in primary schools was more rigid, for children from the working population the Latin and Greek taught was very basic. The emphasis was on letter recognition, this was done both visually and aurally, mixing sound and form but not in writing (Bonner 166). This repetition as a form of teaching also involved passages from texts such as law texts like the 12 Tables, the group attitude of this form of teaching encouraged competition between students. THE 86 (2005).