[prox]

For about half of its lifetime at least, the vedas were meticulously passed down orally with a priest present at its ritual to catch for any errors in word or deed.

A teacher I had of Jewish descent said something similar about his tradition.

It was a lot more common to memorize texts and cultural highlights. In the even recent past most people could recite complete poems and stories by heart.

[bergenty]

Even today many Muslims memorize the entire Koran.