Education and literacy in ancient Italy: Evidence from the dedications to the goddess Reitia

Abstract

This article discusses the votive dedications to the goddess Reitia at the sanctuary of EsteBaratella (Veneto) as evidence for the acquisition of literacy in Italy c. 350–150 B.C. These dedications, which take the form of bronze writing tablets and styluses, are inscribed with Venetic dedicatory formulae, abecedaria and other writing exercises. This article shows how these texts function as writing exercises – some of the earliest evidence of elementary education methods in Italy. Many of the votives were dedicated by women, and this article argues that women were active participants in literacy and education in this period. It also sets the dedications in their Italian and Mediterranean context by comparing them to votive and funerary deposits of abecedaria from across Italy and the ancient world.