In an effort to draw scholarly attention to non-monumental epigraphy, and so-called instrumentum in particular, this contribution explores the relationship of inscribed small finds and literacy among the provincial population in Gaul. Using the epigraphic module of the online database Artefacts as a basis, the authors discuss two case studies: the environment of production and the so-called speaking objects. The results demonstrate how instrumentum can shed a light on a wide range of literacies in different contexts and for different purposes, exposing linguistic subtleties and regional phenomena that are crucial to our understanding of literacy and language use in ancient communities. However, as the authors highlight, there is a need for more awareness among scholars of the varied nature of inscribed small finds and their correct recording in databases, in order to enable their contextualization in future research.