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The volume represents the seventh in the series on Orality and Literacy in the Ancient Greek and Roman Worlds. It comprises a collection of essays on the significance and working of memory in ancient texts and visual documentation, from contexts both oral (or oral-derived) and literate. The authors discuss a variety of interpretations of ‘memory’ in Homeric epic, lyric poetry, tragedy, historical inscriptions, oratory, and philosophy, as well as in the replication of ancient artworks, and in Greek vase inscriptions. They present therefore a wide-ranging analysis of memory as a fundamental faculty underlying the production and reception of texts and material documentation in a society that gradually moved from an essentially oral to an essentially literate culture.

Classical literature --- Language and culture --- Oral tradition in literature. --- Literacy --- Littérature ancienne --- Langage et culture --- Tradition orale dans la littérature --- Alphabétisation --- History and criticism. --- Histoire et critique --- Oral tradition in literature --- History and criticism --- Classical literature -- History and criticism. --- Language and culture -- Greece. --- Language and culture -- Rome. --- Literacy -- Greece. --- Literacy -- Rome. --- Languages & Literatures --- Greek & Latin Languages & Literatures --- Littérature ancienne --- Tradition orale dans la littérature --- Alphabétisation --- Illiteracy --- Education --- General education --- Culture and language --- Culture --- Classical literature - History and criticism --- Language and culture - Greece --- Language and culture - Rome --- Literacy - Greece --- Literacy - Rome

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This volume represents the sixth in the series on Orality and Literacy in the Ancient Greek and Roman Worlds. The present work comprises a collection of essays that explore the tensions and controversies that arise as a society moves from an oral to literate culture. Part 1 deals with both Homeric and other forms of epic; part 2 explores different ways in which texts and writing were manipulated for political ends. Part 3 and 4 deals with the controversies surrounding the adoption of writing as the accepted mode of communication; whereas some segments of society began to privilege writing over oral communication, others continued to maintain that the latter was superior. Part 4 looks at the oral elements of Athenian Law.

Greek literature --- Transmission of texts --- Oral communication --- Language and culture --- Oral tradition --- Littérature grecque --- Transmission de textes --- Communication orale --- Langage et culture --- Tradition orale --- History and criticism. --- Histoire et critique --- Oral transmission --- Speech communication --- Verbal communication --- Communication --- History and criticism --- Culture --- Greek literature - History and criticism. --- Transmission of texts - Greece. --- Oral communication - Greece. --- Language and culture - Greece. --- Oral tradition - Greece.

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How many people could read and write in the ancient world of the Greeks and Romans? No one has previously tried to give a systematic answer to this question. Most historians who have considered the problem at all have given optimistic assessments, since they have been impressed by large bodies of ancient written material such as the graffiti at Pompeii. They have also been influenced by a tendency to idealize the Greek and Roman world and its educational system. In Ancient Literacy W. V. Harris provides the first thorough exploration of the levels, types, and functions of literacy in the classical world, from the invention of the Greek alphabet about 800 B.C. down to the fifth century A.D. Investigations of other societies show that literacy ceases to be the accomplishment of a small elite only in specific circumstances. Harris argues that the social and technological conditions of the ancient world were such as to make mass literacy unthinkable. Noting that a society on the verge of mass literacy always possesses an elaborate school system, Harris stresses the limitations of Greek and Roman schooling, pointing out the meagerness of funding for elementary education. Neither the Greeks nor the Romans came anywhere near to completing the transition to a modern kind of written culture. They relied more heavily on oral communication than has generally been imagined. Harris examines the partial transition to written culture, taking into consideration the economic sphere and everyday life, as well as law, politics, administration, and religion. He has much to say also about the circulation of literary texts throughout classical antiquity. The limited spread of literacy in the classical world had diverse effects. It gave some stimulus to critical thought and assisted the accumulation of knowledge, and the minority that did learn to read and write was to some extent able to assert itself politically. The written word was also an instrument of power, and its use was indispensable for the construction and maintenance of empires. Most intriguing is the role of writing in the new religious culture of the late Roman Empire, in which it was more and more revered but less and less practiced. Harris explores these and related themes in this highly original work of social and cultural history. Ancient Literacy is important reading for anyone interested in the classical world, the problem of literacy, or the history of the written word.

Classical languages --- Literacy --- Civilization, Classical. --- Language and culture --- Culture and language --- Culture --- Classical civilization --- Civilization, Ancient --- Classicism --- Illiteracy --- Education --- General education --- Dead languages --- Languages, Classical --- History. --- Classical languages. --- Langues anciennes --- Langage et culture --- Alphabétisation --- 87 --- 930.85 --- 87 Klassieke literatuur --- Klassieke literatuur --- 930.85 Cultuurgeschiedenis. Kultuurgeschiedenis --- Cultuurgeschiedenis. Kultuurgeschiedenis --- History --- Greece --- Rome --- Civilization [Classical ] --- Language and culture - Greece. --- Language and culture - Rome. --- Literacy - Greece. --- Literacy - Rome.

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Woodard examines the origin of the Greek alphabet and treats the advent of its script as a point on an unbroken continuum of Greek literacy. He argues that those who adapted the Phoenician script were scribes used to writing with the script of Cyprus.

Greek language --- Written communication --- Language and culture --- Literacy --- Alphabet --- History. --- Written Greek. --- Writing. --- 003.341 --- 003.341 Grieks schrift --- Grieks schrift --- Grec (Langue) --- Communication écrite --- Langage et culture --- Alphabétisation --- History --- Written Greek --- Writing --- Histoire --- Grec parlé --- Ecriture --- Written discourse --- Written language --- Communication --- Discourse analysis --- Language and languages --- Visual communication --- Illiteracy --- Education --- General education --- Culture and language --- Culture --- Classical languages --- Indo-European languages --- Classical philology --- Greek philology --- Alphabet. --- Greek language - Alphabet --- Written communication - Greece - History. --- Language and culture - Greece - History. --- Greek language - Written Greek. --- Literacy - Greece - History. --- Greek language - Writing.

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This volume deals with aspects of orality and oral traditions in ancient Greece, and is a selection of refereed papers from the fourth biennial Orality and Literacy in Ancient Greece conference, held at the University of Missouri Columbia in 2000. The book is divided into three parts: literature, rhetoric and society, and philosophy. The papers focus on genres such as epic poetry, drama, poetry and art, public oratory, legislative procedure, and Simplicius’ philosophy. All papers present new approaches to their topics or ask new and provocative questions.

Greek literature --- Written communication --- Oral communication --- Oral tradition --- Language and culture --- Literacy --- Littérature grecque --- Communication écrite --- Communication orale --- Tradition orale --- Langage et culture --- Alphabétisation --- History and criticism --- History --- Histoire et critique --- Histoire --- Greek language --- History and criticism. --- Written Greek. --- Spoken Greek. --- -Greek language --- -Greek literature --- -Language and culture --- -Literacy --- -Oral communication --- -Oral tradition --- -Written communication --- -Written discourse --- Written language --- Communication --- Discourse analysis --- Language and languages --- Visual communication --- Tradition, Oral --- Folklore --- Oral history --- Oral transmission --- Speech communication --- Verbal communication --- Illiteracy --- Education --- General education --- Culture and language --- Culture --- Balkan literature --- Byzantine literature --- Classical literature --- Classical philology --- Greek philology --- Classical languages --- Indo-European languages --- Spoken Greek --- Written Greek --- -Spoken Greek --- Littérature grecque --- Communication écrite --- Alphabétisation --- Written discourse --- History. --- Greek literature - History and criticism. --- Written communication - Greece. --- Oral communication - Greece. --- Oral tradition - Greece. --- Greek language - Written Greek. --- Greek language - Spoken Greek. --- Language and culture - Greece. --- Literacy - Greece.