The Scribes of Rome
A Cultural and Social History of the Scribae
Published on 24. September 2020
252 pages
978-1-108-65913-0 (ISBN)
Description
In a society in which only a fraction of the population was literate and numerate, being one of the few specialists in reading, writing and reckoning meant the possession of an invaluable asset. The fact that the Roman state heavily relied on these professional scribes in financial and legal administration led to their holding a unique position and status. By gathering and analysing the available source material on the Roman scribae, Benjamin Hartmann traces the history of Rome's public scribes from the early Republic to the Later Roman Empire. He tells the story of men of low social origin, who, by means of their specialised knowledge, found themselves at the heart of the Roman polity, in close proximity to the powerful and responsible for the written arcana of the state - a story of knowledge and power, corruption and contested social mobility.
Reviews / Votes
'Hartmann's important, fundamental overview of the social position and mobility of the scribes, their work and the institutional framework will hopefully stimulate further worthwhile research.' Alexander Reis, Frankfurter elektronische Rundschau zur AltertumskundeMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
College/higher education
Illustrations
Worked examples or Exercises; 1 Tables, black and white; 8 Halftones, black and white
File size
5,63 MB
ISBN-13
978-1-108-65913-0 (9781108659130)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
09/2020
Cambridge University Press
€105.50
Shipment within 15-20 days
Person
Content
1. Imagining the Roman scriba; 2. The human archive; 3. The attendant; 4. The pro?teer; 5. The parvenu; 6. The Roman scriba reimagined; Appendix The Roman scribae; Bibliography; General index; Index locorum.
