Education In The Past

Education wasn't an option for Romans and Greeks; it was both a tool and a necessity. Without education, neither of these cultures would have been what they were or remembered as they are today. Without education, neither of these cultures would have experienced the fame and success that they experienced during their individual time periods.

About 200 BC, a Roman system of education developed which was different from the Greek tradition, but Romans borrowed some of the ancient Greek system of education. The Roman education system was based mainly on the study of Latin and Greek literature in order to produce effective speakers. School began each year on the 24th of March and there were three phases to a proper Roman Education: primary instruction, reading of literature (called grammar by the Romans), and formal schooling in rhetoric, but these three phases weren't for everyone because school wasn't free. For those that could afford to go to school, they had to first be educated at home. In early Roman days, a Roman boy's education took place at home. If his father could read and write, he taught his son to do the same. The father instructed his son in Roman law, history, customs, and physical training, to prepare for war. Reverence for the gods, respect for law, obedience to authority, and truthfulness were the most important lessons to be taught. Girls were taught by their mothers. Girls learned to spin, weave, and sew. Once boys and girls, with their father's permission to school, reached the age of 6 or 7, they were ready to begin the primary instruction part of the Roman education. In primary instruction, children studied reading, writing, and counting. They read scrolls and books. They were taught Roman numerals, and recited lessons they had memorized. At age 12 or 13, the boys of the upper classes attended "grammar" school, where they studied Latin, Greek, grammar, and literature. At age 16, some boys went on to study public speaking at the rhetoric school, which was the major element in education, to prepare for life as an orator or as an advocate in the law courts.

In ancient Athens, the purpose of education was to produce citizens trained in the arts, to prepare citizens for both peace and war. Athenian schools were private, and required students to pay tuition. There were no state-funded schools at this time and no laws requiring children to receive education. Also, there were separate schools for girls, but girls schooling was generally not as widespread because girls weren't educated at school, but many learned to read and write at home. Most Athenian girls had a primarily domestic education. The most highly educated women were the hetaerae, or courtesans, who attended special schools where they learned to be interesting companions for the men who could afford to maintain them. School wasn't for everyone; many of the lower income students probably left after three of four years

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