Writing Instruction for the “Young Ladies” of Teos: A Note on Women and Literacy in Antiquity

Abstract

Historians of rhetoric have provided research over the last three decades that has significantly advanced our knowledge of women in the rhetorical tradition. These achievements, while often stunning, have also exposed the need for more primary research, particularly in classical rhetoric where a wealth of evidence awaits study. Such evidence is frequently found in nontraditional sources and, correspondingly, calls for nontraditional methods of analysis. The need and merits of this view are presented in two ways. First, an overview of nontraditional sources offers new insights to the literacy of Greek, Roman, and Etruscan women. Second, a more specific and detailed illustration of the research potential of this perspective is presented by deciphering an inscription from Teos, a small but important Greek city that is now a part of Turkey. The epigraphical evidence available from the archaeological site at Teos reveals that young women had systematic education in advanced stages of writing. Such findings challenge traditional characterizations of ancient women as nonliterate. The intent of this work is to reveal the need for more primary fieldwork in order to attain a more accurate understanding of women and the range of their manifestations of literacy in the ancient world.

Notes

¹We thank the Editor of Rhetoric Review, Theresa Enos and Assistant Editor José M. Cortez, and RR reviewers, Michelle Ballif and George A. Kennedy, for their insights, recommendations, and support. This article was also enriched by several rhetoricians from across the country who willingly read drafts and offered valuable suggestions that improved our efforts. These generous colleagues appear in alphabetical order: Elizabeth Baddour, Stacia Dunn Campbell, Emily Cody, Ellen Cushman, Kurk Gayle, Cheryl Glenn, Amy Hermanson, Susan Jarratt, Kathleen S. Lamp, Molly Leverenz, Ellen Quandahl, Joonna Trapp, Wendy Williams, and Marjorie Curry Woods.