I recently read a book on ancient Greek history, and the author asserted that in the early days literacy was used as a tool of oppression. I had to think about that for a few minutes. But it does make sense.
The early alphabet was used as an accounting system. Prose and poetry as we know them today did not exist in a written form. The only thing written were entries about who owed who how much, or what weight a specific load of grain was. It was all kept by officials to record financial transactions and, presumably, keep track …