3.283 Israeli perfume; Greeks reading (134)
Willard McCarty (MCCARTY@VM.EPAS.UTORONTO.CA)
Mon, 24 Jul 89 21:30:42 EDT
Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 3, No. 283. Monday, 24 Jul 1989.
(1) Date: Thu, 20 Jul 89 08:36 CDT (11 lines)
From: Michael Ossar <MLO@KSUVM>
Subject: ancient israeli perfume
(2) Date: Sun, 23 Jul 89 13:00:21 EDT (7 lines)
From: bobh@phoenix (Robert Hollander)
Subject: Re: 3.276 European contacts? Greeks reading? (58)
(3) Date: Sun, 23 Jul 89 19:14:00 EDT (12 lines)
From: elli@harvunxw.BITNET (Elli Mylonas)
Subject: Silent Reading
(4) Date: Sat, 22 Jul 89 13:45:04 -0700 (50 lines)
From: gwp%dido.caltech.edu@Hamlet.Bitnet
Subject: silent reading in antiquity
(5) Date: Mon, 24 Jul 89 09:10 PST (19 lines)
From: <YOUNGC@CLARGRAD>
Subject: Re: Greeks reading
(1) --------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 20 Jul 89 08:36 CDT
From: Michael Ossar <MLO@KSUVM>
Subject: ancient israeli perfume
The New York Times carried a report about three or four months ago about
the archaological expedition in Israel that discovered the ancient perfume.
The vial was so well sealed that the perfume was still liquid, although it
had lost its aroma. It was made from a plant that has since become extinct.
I don't recall any reference to the ark in the Times report, but I believe
there was speculation that the perfume had been used to annoint the kings of
Israel.
(2) --------------------------------------------------------------19----
Date: Sun, 23 Jul 89 13:00:21 EDT
From: bobh@phoenix (Robert Hollander)
Subject: Re: 3.276 European contacts? Greeks reading? (58)
In the _Confessions_ Augustine reports his surprise that Ambrose did
_not_ read aloud (when reading to himself). That's a small piece of evidence
that reading aloud in private was a continuing ancient tradition.
(3) --------------------------------------------------------------15----
Date: Sun, 23 Jul 89 19:14:00 EDT
From: elli@harvunxw.BITNET (Elli Mylonas)
Subject: Silent Reading
One article that summarizes information is
Knox, BMW. "Silent Reading in Antiquity, " GRBS. 1968. pp. 421-435.
There is also a vast literature on orality and literacy, don't know
if that addresss the problem per se, however. You might also look
under reading or books in the Pauly-Wissowa.
I can send some info on orality, if it seems fruitful.
--elli mylonas
(4) --------------------------------------------------------------53----
Date: Sat, 22 Jul 89 13:45:04 -0700
From: gwp%dido.caltech.edu@Hamlet.Bitnet
Subject: silent reading in antiquity
Geoff Rockwell <rockwell@utorgpu> writes:
>I have been told that the ancient Greeks did not read silently. Does anyone
>know of any evidence that they read out loud (even to themselves)? Does
>anyone know of a work that summarizes the evidence?
The received wisdom for many years was that silent reading under any
circumstances was extraordinary in Greek and Roman antiquity, but
sometime in the sixties (I believe it was) Bernard Knox argued that,
although the primary method of reading literary texts was aloud, the
reading of letters, wills, and everyday matter could be silent without
arousing interest. (I think Knox's paper was published in *Greek,
Roman, & Byzantine Studies*.) One of the primary passages suggesting the
unusualness of silent reading occurs in Augustine, *Confessions* 6.3
(AD 397-98):
When he read, his eyes scanned the page and his heart explored
the meaning, but his voice was silent and his tongue was
still. All could approach him freely, and it was not usual
for visitors to be announced, so that often, when we came to
see him, we found him reading like this in silence, for he
never read aloud. We would sit there quietly, for no one had
the heart to disturb him when he was so engrossed in study.
After a time we went away again, guessing that in the short
time when he was free from the turmoil of other men's affairs
and was able to refresh his own mind, he would not wish to be
distracted. Perhaps he was afraid that, if he read aloud,
some obscure passage in the author he was reading might raise
a question in the mind of an attentive listener, and he would
then have to explain the meaning or even discuss some of the
more difficult points. If he spent his time in this way, he
would not manage to read as much as he wished. Perhaps a more
likely reason why he read to himself was that he needed to
spare his voice, which quite easily became hoarse. But
whatever his reason, we may be sure it was a good one.
The usual assumption about this passage is that if a man of
Augustine's learning and experience could find silent reading so
puzzling, it must have been normal to read aloud.
I haven't studied the topic for years, so I'd be interested in learning of
more recent work.
-Mac Pigman
gwp@hss.caltech.edu (internet)
pigman@caltech.bitnet (bitnet)
(5) --------------------------------------------------------------23----
Date: Mon, 24 Jul 89 09:10 PST
From: <YOUNGC@CLARGRAD>
Subject: Re: Greeks reading
In response to Goeff Rockwell's request for information
about how the Greeks read:
The evidence for the claim that the Greeks read out loud
seems to consist in the fact that it was thought noteworthy
when someone read silently. See e.g. Plutarch, Brutus 5,
on Julius Caesar and Augustine, Confessions 6.3, on Ambrose.
See W. B. Stanford, The Sound of Greek (Berkeley: U. of
California Press, 1967) for more.
Best wishes,
Charles