(December 16, 2013 at 1:06 pm)Chuck Wrote:(December 16, 2013 at 12:32 pm)Minimalist Wrote: There are primarily agricultural subsistence-level societies today...they don't spend their time reading.
It depends upon whether the farmers tend to work independent land holdings, and whether such land holdings have to directly deal with commerce in argriculture produce.
Tenant farmers tend not to need literacy much. But farmer- landowners may very well need some degree of literacy, or at least have ready access to literacy, to support the operation of the family farm.
Also, if some literacy is important for advancement in the army, and army is a significant avenue of advancement for childrens of farmers, then it might have been worthwhile for even tenant farmers to invest in some literacy education for their offsprings.
I tend to think literacy amongst Roman Citizens were higher during middle republic, before the conquest of Hellenistic east and the subsequent Social wars, than later.
Yeah I would agree with that, especially during and after the plebe's rights movement. And a farmer that owns land would want atleast some basic reading skill so that he can understand ledgers and receipts. The use of too a soldier I think is obvious.The things is that reading isnt a terrible hard skill to teach and parents that could read could teach there children to read at home.
To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
