What was Education like in Rome?
Education in Rome was only slightly similar to the schools we have today.
Before the First Stage of Education
Roman children did not enter school before the age of seven. They began their education at home, taught by their mother. The children were taught to speak Latin. They were also taught basic reading and writing skills.
After a boy turned seven, he was usually sent to school. However, parents in Rome were not required to send their children to school. In order to do so, a small fee was paid. Most parents chose to send their sons to school, due to the price of education being affordable and the fact that being able to read and write, even at a basic level, would be very useful.
Girls, for the most part, did not attend school. Instead, they would remain at home and learn different skills. Sometimes, if a girl came from a wealthy family, a Greek tutor would be hired to teach her Greek. She would learn how to manage slaves. She would also study Latin literature and be taught how to play the lyre (sort of like a small, ancient harp) and sing. But it was more common for girls to be taught how to cook, clean, weave, spin, and take care of children.
After a boy turned seven, he was usually sent to school. However, parents in Rome were not required to send their children to school. In order to do so, a small fee was paid. Most parents chose to send their sons to school, due to the price of education being affordable and the fact that being able to read and write, even at a basic level, would be very useful.
Girls, for the most part, did not attend school. Instead, they would remain at home and learn different skills. Sometimes, if a girl came from a wealthy family, a Greek tutor would be hired to teach her Greek. She would learn how to manage slaves. She would also study Latin literature and be taught how to play the lyre (sort of like a small, ancient harp) and sing. But it was more common for girls to be taught how to cook, clean, weave, spin, and take care of children.
The First Stage
A boy turned seven and was sent to a school run by a teacher called a ludi magister. There were about thirty pupils per class. There was not an official school building, so classes were held in a small, rented room or a public place like the forum, colonnade, or town square. Unfortunately, this meant that there were many distractions.
Students were walked to school by a paedagogus (slave who was responsible for their well-being) and a slave who carried books and writing materials.
At the first stage, the ludi magister would teach a student how to read and write Latin and Greek. They were also taught simple arithmetic.
Students were walked to school by a paedagogus (slave who was responsible for their well-being) and a slave who carried books and writing materials.
At the first stage, the ludi magister would teach a student how to read and write Latin and Greek. They were also taught simple arithmetic.
The Second Stage
Most students' education ended after the first stage, but boys from wealthy families got to continue theirs. Next, a student went to school at the age of eleven that was run by a grammaticus. Here, students read the works of Homer and other famous Roman and Greek writers, playwrights, and poets. These included Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Vergil, and Horace.
Along with grammar and literature that students often had to memorize, they were also taught a little history and geography. However, these were mainly just taught in order to understand allusions made to them in the literature.
The second stage of education led to stdents having a very good knowlege of Latin and Greek- both of which would be useful later, as many countries in the Mediterranean spoke Greek.
Along with grammar and literature that students often had to memorize, they were also taught a little history and geography. However, these were mainly just taught in order to understand allusions made to them in the literature.
The second stage of education led to stdents having a very good knowlege of Latin and Greek- both of which would be useful later, as many countries in the Mediterranean spoke Greek.
The Third Stage
This is the final stage of education. Only a few students advanced this far. Students came here at around age fifteen and were taught by a rhetor. The rhetor was a very knowledgable Greek who continued the studies of literature. He also taught public speaking, which was very useful to those who wanted to hold a more public role or run in elections, such as town council. The speeches students were taught are similar to present-day speeches. A student would learn how to debate, argue, use tone-of-voice in their favor, and make hand gestures.
Technical Subjests and Science
While Greeks and Romans were successful inventors, mathematicians, physicists, and architects, it was believed that these things were not very useful in life. The ability to read, do simple math, and write was highly valued. If a student took a special interest in science or advanced math, a Greek specialist was hired. If a student was interested in technical subjects, he became an apprentice.
Writing Materials
Students were taught to write on tabulae (wooden tablets). The tabulae were coated with a thin layer of wax. Using a stilus (thin stick made of metal, bone, or ivory with one flat end), a student would learn to write on the tabulae, using the flat end to smooth out the wax when a mistake was made, similar to an eraser. Several of the tabulae could be strung together to make a little book. After a student had shown he could write well, he began to write on papyrus. This paper was made from reeds from the Nile River in Egypt. To write on papyrus, a student used a quill (from a goose feather that was sharpened and split like a pen nib) or a reed. Ink was made from resin, gummy substances, or soot. A bit of water was used to thin the paste-like ink, then the quill was dipped into it. The best Roman inks were very durable- they can still be read to this day.
Students did not have desks, so they sat on benches or stool and held their tabulae on their knees.
Students did not have desks, so they sat on benches or stool and held their tabulae on their knees.
Further Information
There was no school every ninth day, which was a market day.
Summer heat often led to schools being closed July through October.
If a student was not doing something correctly, they were often beaten by their teacher or tutor. Romans believed fear led to better grades. Pretty crazy, huh?
"The teacher must decide how to deal with his pupil. Some boys are lazy, unless forced to work; others do not
like being controlled; some will respond to fear but others are paralysed
by it. Give me a boy who is encouraged by praise, delighted by success
and ready to weep over failure. Such a boy must be encouraged by appeals
to his ambitions."
--Quintilian, a Roman teacher in the first century AD.
Summer heat often led to schools being closed July through October.
If a student was not doing something correctly, they were often beaten by their teacher or tutor. Romans believed fear led to better grades. Pretty crazy, huh?
"The teacher must decide how to deal with his pupil. Some boys are lazy, unless forced to work; others do not
like being controlled; some will respond to fear but others are paralysed
by it. Give me a boy who is encouraged by praise, delighted by success
and ready to weep over failure. Such a boy must be encouraged by appeals
to his ambitions."
--Quintilian, a Roman teacher in the first century AD.