# Literacy in the Roman Empire **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 11, 2004, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literacy-in-the-roman-empire/274121 "2004-11-11T01:12:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literacy-in-the-roman-empire/274121/1 "2004-11-11T01:12:27Z")
Obviously the upper class knew how to write, which is usually pretty standred for any ancient civilization, but how far did this extend down? Do we know much much of average free Roman citizenery, say, around the time of Christ, was able to read and write? If so, how much? ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literacy-in-the-roman-empire/274121/2 "2004-11-11T02:31:55Z")
The amount and kind of graffiti at Pompeii and Herculaneum, two unimportant towns, suggests that a lot of people were literate. But it’s still hard to quantify. ---
**Author:** ![Hadrian0117](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Hadrian0117](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hadrian0117)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literacy-in-the-roman-empire/274121/3 "2004-11-11T02:35:22Z")
Well the lower classes couldn read signs. Graffiti was pretty common at Pompeii. It would depend on their job. Labourers wouldn’t have much use for literacy. Slaves would’ve been illiterate except for the ones working as scribes or tutors. Obviously men were more likely than women to read and write. Female literacy was limited except for the upper classes. Boys may have gone to school if their parents could afford it, but girls were taught _matronly_ things by their mothers at home. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literacy-in-the-roman-empire/274121/4 "2004-11-11T03:29:57Z")
Romanes Eunt Domus! ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literacy-in-the-roman-empire/274121/5 "2004-11-11T04:11:30Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#): > > Romanes Eunt Domus! “People called Romanes, they go, the house”? So what about the Roman military? Obviously Legatus Legionis would know how to write but about lower ranks, Centurians? Did the romans use written military reports? ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literacy-in-the-roman-empire/274121/6 "2004-11-11T14:09:10Z")
> [@HPL](#): > > “People called Romanes, they go, the house”? > > So what about the Roman military? Obviously Legatus Legionis would know how to write but about lower ranks, Centurians? Did the romans use written military reports? Hopefully finishing **HPL** ’s and **Gorsnak** ’s homage is small enough to be considered fair use: > [@IMDB.com](#): > > [Brian is writing graffiti on the palace wall. The Centurion catches him in the act] > Centurion : What’s this, then? “Romanes eunt domus”? People called Romanes, they go, the house? > Brian : It says, "Romans go home. " > Centurion : No it doesn’t ! What’s the latin for “Roman”? Come on, come on ! > Brian : Er, “Romanus” ! > Centurion : Vocative plural of “Romanus” is? > Brian : Er, er, “Romani” ! > Centurion : [Writes “Romani” over Brian’s graffiti] “Eunt”? What is “eunt”? Conjugate the verb, “to go” ! > Brian : Er, “Ire”. Er, “eo”, “is”, “it”, “imus”, “itis”, “eunt”. > Centurion : So, “eunt” is… ? > Brian : Third person plural present indicative, “they go”. > Centurion : But, “Romans, go home” is an order. So you must use… ? > [He twists Brian’s ear] > Brian : Aaagh ! The imperative ! > Centurion : Which is… ? > Brian : Aaaagh ! Er, er, “i” ! > Centurion : How many Romans? > Brian : Aaaaagh ! Plural, plural, er, “ite” ! > Centurion : [Writes “ite”] “Domus”? Nominative? “Go home” is motion towards, isn’t it? > Brian : Dative ! > [the Centurion holds a sword to his throat] > Brian : Aaagh ! Not the dative, not the dative ! Er, er, accusative, “Domum” ! > Centurion : But “Domus” takes the locative, which is… ? > Brian : Er, “Domum” ! > Centurion : [Writes “Domum”] Understand? Now, write it out a hundred times. > Brian : Yes sir. Thank you, sir. Hail Caesar, sir. > Centurion : Hail Caesar ! And if it’s not done by sunrise, I’ll cut your balls off. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literacy-in-the-roman-empire/274121/7 "2004-11-11T18:24:21Z")
> [@Hadrian0117](#): > > Well the lower classes couldn read signs. Graffiti was pretty common at Pompeii. It would depend on their job. Labourers wouldn’t have much use for literacy. Slaves would’ve been illiterate except for the ones working as scribes or tutors. Obviously men were more likely than women to read and write. Female literacy was limited except for the upper classes. Boys may have gone to school if their parents could afford it, but girls were taught _matronly_ things by their mothers at home. I would ponder that the slaves Romans had in their homes were probably the more literate ones. ---
**Author:** ![Gaius.Cornelius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b487fb/32.png) [@Gaius.Cornelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gaius.Cornelius)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literacy-in-the-roman-empire/274121/8 "2004-11-11T19:19:29Z")
> [@HPL](#): > > So what about the Roman military? Obviously Legatus Legionis would know how to write but about lower ranks, Centurians? Did the romans use written military reports? The many letters found at Vindolanda on Hadrian’s wall would certainly suggest that a high level of literacy. I dimmly remember something from Vegetius to the effect that literacy was a requirement for a Roman recruit - although that does seem rather unlikely. Of course, ordinary Romans did not speak or write Classical Latin in that manner or Caesar etc. They spoke and wrote Vulgar Latin. It seems that Classical Latin has always been formally taught.