Literacy and Power in the Ancient World

Literacy and Power in the Ancient World edited by Alan K. Bowman and Greg Woolf was published by Cambridge University Press in 1994 (hardcover) and 1996 (paperback). In 2005 it was transferred to digital printing, which means it is still available.

First a few words about the editors:

** Alan K. Bowman was, at the time of publication, a lecturer in ancient history, University of Oxford. I can add the following information: he is the author of several books, including Life and Letters on the Roman Frontier: The People of Vindolanda (first edition 1994, second edition 1998, third edition 2003).

** Greg Woolf was, at the time of publication, a fellow of Brasenose College, University of Oxford. I can add the following information: he is the author of Becoming Roman: The Origins of Provincial Civilization in Gaul (hardcover 1998, paperback 2000) and the co-editor of Ancient Libraries (2013).

The papers presented in this volume are the product of a conference held at Oxford in 1992. This volume contains 13 contributions by 12 classical scholars, including the editors. Here is the table of contents [the affiliation of each scholar at the time of publication is added in square brackets]:

CHAPTER 1

Literacy and power in the ancient world
By the editors

CHAPTER 2

The Persepolis Tablets: speech, seal and script
By D. M. Lewis
[Christ Church, Oxford]

CHAPTER 3

Literacy and the city-state in archaic and classical Greece
By Rosalind Thomas

[Royal Holloway, University of London]

CHAPTER 4

Literacy and language in Egypt in the Late and Persian Periods

By John Ray

[Selwyn College, Cambridge]

CHAPTER 5

Literacy and power in Ptolemaic Egypt

By Dorothy J. Thompson

[Girton College, Cambridge]

CHAPTER 6

Power and the spread of writing in the West

By Greg Woolf

CHAPTER 7

Texts, scribes and power in Roman Judaea

By M. D. Goodman

[Oriental Institute and Wolfson College, Oxford]

CHAPTER 8

The Roman imperial army: letters and literacy on the northern frontier

By Alan K. Bowman

CHAPTER 9

Literacy and power in early Christianity

By Robin Lane Fox

[New College, Oxford]

CHAPTER 10

Greek and Syriac in Late Antique Syria

By S. P. Brock

[Oriental Institute and Wolfson College, Oxford]

CHAPTER 11

Later Roman bureaucracy: going through the files

By C. M. Kelly

[Pembroke College, Cambridge, and Royal Holloway, University of London]

CHAPTER 12

Literacy and power in the migration period

By Peter Heather

[University College, London]

CHAPTER 13

Texts as weapons: polemic in the Byzantine dark ages

By Averil Cameron

[King’s College, London]

References are given in footnotes at the bottom of the page (very user-friendly). At the end of the book we find a bibliography - divided into 13 sections, one for each chapter (also very user-friendly) - and an index.

What about illustrations? There are only five pictures in black-and-white. Since the number is so low, I can mention all of them here:

** Figure 1 – A tablet from Persepolis in Elamite language and modified Akkadian cuneiform (page 22)

** Figure 2 – A demotic papyrus showing an initial year sign (page 81)

** Figure 3a – Vindolanda tablet II 248: a letter from Niger and Brocchus to Flavius Cerialis (page 114)

** Figure 3b – Vindolanda tablet II 181: a cash account from Vindolanda (page 115)

** Figure 4 – Chamber in the Sphendone of the Hippodrome at Constantinople (page 162)

The number is rather low and so is the quality, in particular figure 4. It would have been nice to have more illustrations. Since this book is about reading and writing in the ancient world, the contributors could (and should) have shown us what this writing looked like. They present and discuss many ancient inscriptions, but in most cases they do not show them: a missed opportunity.

This volume is not a general history of the ancient world. The authors assume the reader has a basic knowledge of this subject. Therefore this volume is not recommended for the beginner.

If, on the other hand, you are already familiar with the subject and you wish to learn about the topics discussed here – literacy and power in the ancient world – then this collection may be the right one for you.

When you read the papers presented here, you will get a chance to see how a classical scholar can work. You will get a chance to find out what we how and how we know it; or (in some cases) how little we know, because the evidence is quite limited.

As you can see from the table of contents, this book covers the Mediterranean world and much of northern Europe during a period of more than a millennium (from ca. 600 BC to ca. AD 800). For the record: Asia is not included. There is nothing about the ancient history of China or Japan.

The authors deploy an impressive range of materials: inscriptions written on stone and bronze, tablets of wood and lead, and coins, as well as graffiti written on walls and pottery.

The authors are careful. They do not jump to conclusions. They present and discuss the ancient evidence as well as relevant modern scholarship. When they draw a conclusion, it is based on the evidence and not on speculation.

Bowman and Woolf got some good reviews: on the back cover of the paperback version there are excerpts from two reviews of the hardcover version:

** The Classical Review: 

“Bowman and Woolf’s collection has many virtues – not least putting Greek and Roman experience into a wider ancient context. All classicists must read it to broaden their range and enlarge their operating framework.”

** JACT Review: 

“This book is highly informative and always interesting.”

[The four letters JACT stand for: Joint Association of Classical Teachers]

If you ask me, the positive reviews are justified. I like these essays. I like, in particular, chapter 9 “Literacy and power in early Christianity” by Robin Lane Fox, who has a lively style of writing.

Cyprian of Carthage, whose full name is Thascius Caecilius Cyprianus, is presented in this chapter (pp. 135-139). He was born around AD 200; he was bishop of Carthage from 249 and died as a martyr in 258. Fox talks about “the richest of all our sources, the letters preserved in Cyprian’s correspondence, radiating in and out of Carthage in the 240s and 250s.” He adds: “G. W. Clarke’s admirable edition helps historians to see literacy and power at work in a major bishop’s life.”

Clarke’s edition of Cyprian’s letters was published in four volumes 1984-1987. Since Fox wrote his essay, new studies of the man and the role he played have appeared: Cyprian the Bishop by J. P. Burns Jr. was published in 2001; Cyprian and Roman Carthage by Allen Brent was published in 2010; and The Complete Works of Saint Cyprian of Carthage edited by Philip Campbell was published in 2013.

Caesarius of Arles is also presented in this chapter (page 146). He was born in 468/469/470. Fox writes: “in the early sixth century, Caesarius, bishop of Arles from 503 to 543, was a tireless circulator of sermons and texts, excelling even Cyprian and leaving a lasting mark on the complex manuscript tradition of his own writings.”

Since Fox wrote his essay, a new study of the man and the role he played has appeared: Caesarius of Arles: The Making of a Christian Community in Late Antique Gaul by William E. Klingshirn (Cambridge University Press, hardcover 1994, paperback 2004); see also Caesarius of Arles: Life, Testament, Letters edited and translated by William E. Klingshirn (Liverpool University Press, 1994).

Incidentally, Cyprian is listed in the index, but Caesarius is not. He is considered a minor character. In my opinion, he deserves to be mentioned. This is one case where the index is incomplete.

Literacy and Power in the Ancient World is an academic work: not suitable for the beginner, but recommended for the serious student. The editors have produced an important contribution to modern scholarship about the history of the Roman Empire and some of its neighbours. Sadly, there is a negative point: as stated above, the number of illustrations is rather low, and so is their quality.

PS. For more information about this topic, see the following publications from the Journal of Roman Archaeology: Literacy in the Roman World, special supplement # 3, 1991, and Becoming Roman, Writing Latin? special supplement # 48, 2002. Bowman is a contributor to the former, while Woolf is a contributor to the latter.

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Alan K. Bowman and Greg Woolf,

Literacy and Power in the Ancient World,

Cambridge University Press, hardcover 1994, paperback 1996,

Transferred to digital printing in 2005, 249 pages

 

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