In the Middle Ages, the relationship of society with books was very different. The ability to read, on the one hand, and access to books, on the other, were rigidly limited compared to today, and concerned only a small part of society. As was the case in ancient times, so it was in Byzantium: Those who had access to education first learned to write – with capital letters – and only in the next stage to read – again, only with capital letters – first the letters one by one, later in syllables, then words, and finally sentences. Thus, the majority of those who were educated could gradually write one word, such as their name; only a small number were able to read inscriptions written in capital letters, on icons, on coins, or in the streets, and even fewer could read texts. Only the most highly educated were able to read text written in small letters at a normal rate of speech. The book which they used as a primer was usually a Psalter.
