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Most of the everyday writing from the ancient world-that is, informal writing not intended for a long life or wide public distribution-has perished. Reinterpreting the silences and blanks of the historical record, leading papyrologist Roger S. Bagnall convincingly argues that ordinary people-from Britain to Egypt to Afghanistan-used writing in their daily lives far more extensively than has been recognized. Marshalling new and little-known evidence, including remarkable graffiti recently discovered in Smyrna, Bagnall presents a fascinating analysis of writing in different segments of society. His book offers a new picture of literacy in the ancient world in which Aramaic rivals Greek and Latin as a great international language, and in which many other local languages develop means of written expression alongside these metropolitan tongues.

Written communication --- Manuscripts, Greek (Papyri) --- Printed ephemera --- Graffiti --- Ostraka --- Coptic inscriptions --- Syriac language --- History --- Ostraka. --- History. --- Written discourse --- Written language --- Communication --- Discourse analysis --- Language and languages --- Visual communication --- Ephemera, Printed --- Ephemeral printing --- Printing, Ephemeral --- Street literature --- Ostraca --- Potsherds (Ostraka) --- Paleography --- Pottery --- Writing materials and instruments --- Graffiti culture --- Folklore --- Inscriptions --- Street art --- Inscriptions, Coptic --- Written communication - Egypt - History --- Written communication - Middle East - History --- Manuscripts, Greek (Papyri) - Egypt --- Printed ephemera - History --- Graffiti - History --- Coptic inscriptions - Egypt --- Syriac language - Texts --- afghanistan. --- ancient world. --- antiquity. --- aramaic. --- britain. --- coptic inscriptions. --- documents. --- egypt. --- ephemera. --- graffiti. --- greek. --- hellenism. --- hellenistic east. --- history. --- informal writing. --- latin. --- linguistics. --- literacy. --- manuscripts. --- middle east. --- nonfiction. --- ostraka. --- papyri. --- papyrus. --- potsherds. --- roman egypt. --- roman empire. --- roman history. --- roman near east. --- slavery. --- smyrna. --- writing. --- written communication. --- Communication écrite --- Égypte --- Antiquité --- Moyen-Orient --- Sources