From: SolomonW@citi.com   
      
   On Sat, 12 Sep 2020 13:55:24 +0100, The True Doctor wrote:   
      
   > On 12/09/2020 09:43, SolomonW wrote:   
   >>> Almost   
   >>> everyone in the ancient world was literate,   
   >>   
   >> I doubt it as late as 1917, most Russians were illiterate   
   >>   . Plus also   
   >> there are degrees of literacy.   
   >>   
   >   
   > We are not talking about 20th century Russian peasants. We are talking   
   > about the civilized socialites of over 2000 years ago who built schools   
   > and synagogues to educate their children to read and write.   
      
   Are you talking of the elite or everyone?   
      
   >   
   >>   
   >>   
   >>> and the only thing stopping   
   >>> people from learning to read and write was the lack of spectacles for   
   >>> people who might have needed them.   
   >>   
   >> Cost of books too?   
   >   
   > They used wax tablets to write on as the teacher deictated or wrote on a   
   > board. The remains of such tablets have been found a Hadrian's Wall   
   > bearing the drafts of letters the soldiers sent to their families.   
      
   Limited access to books and no newspapers andmuch of these letters here   
   were written by scribes.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)