Le quattro dimensioni della scrittura femminile nella tarda antichità greca e romana

During Late Antiquity the relationship between women and written culture was difficult, as a consequence of a more general suspicion towards female literacy. Nevertheless, the graphic acculturation of women was not absolutely disallowed; on the contrary, female literacy was partly admitted in this period, although only for spiritual edification. Focusing both on Greek and latin evidences – especially the literary ones –, it seems possible to detect the traces of four dimensions of female writing that reflect the various ways in which some women actively participated in written culture: they could write for communicating, composing literary works, copying texts and studying. The analysis of these four dimensions allows to investigate the different types of female ‘literacies’ in Late Antiquity; furthermore, it reveals the role played by Christian culture and social status in determining the profile of potential writers.