Inscriptions in stone, literacy in question: The confusion between and in inscriptions from Roman Africa

Abstract

In this paper, a quantitative and qualitative analysis is conducted on the / alternations found in the epigraphic texts from three representative subsets of Roman African inscriptions from both urban centres and more peripheral areas (1st century BCE – 7th century CE). The distribution of the confusion has been related to the dating and provenance place of the inscriptions and the level of literacy of those involved in their crafting. The results show a difference in the distribution of / confusions in the three areas examined, with a higher incidence in later inscriptions from Sabratha. Thus, it is discussed whether the different distribution of the / confusions observed in the different regions might be a cue for internal diatopic variation.