Numeracy in classical Greece: questions and problems

Abstract

Our knowledge of everyday life in antiquity is growing. We still know little, however, about basic counting and calculating - numeracy - in ancient Greece and Rome. For instance, many city-states in the fifth- and fourth-century BC Greek world published accounts, and often displayed them in public places. I will use some of these inscriptions as case-studies in order to look at numeracy in classical Greece, and open up wider questions of who was numerate, and what roles numeracy played in society, economy and politics.