> Roman Life

Education

Early days, father was teacher. But education might be limited or interrupted by business.
Used a slave, who was educated to teach child. Many were better educated than owners.
Owner of slave-teacher allowed children of friends and neighbours to be taught w/ own children.
Charged a fee or allowed slave to take small presents as peculium (personal property)

Established schools were set up like shop at side of street. Open to street.
All could enter, but charged a small fee.
Usually, $3 a year for elementary, 5x-6x more for grammar school.
Pupils brought small presents to teacher.
Some teachers charged no fixed fees, left it open to patrons.
Benches w/o backs were furniture. Neighbours annoyed by noisy recitations/punishments.
Not supported by governments, attendance not compulsory. All children treated equally.
Mostly boys entered, because girls married early. If wanted to learn, usually family could afford to educate her at home.

Pupils don¡¯t respect teacher, but feared him. Teacher position not honorable b/c slave/freedman.
No teacher licenses or requirements to set up school.
Paedagogus = Greek word, child leader. Trustworthy slave. Good character, usually elderly.
Escorted child to school, stayed, escorted home again.
Keep child from moral/physical harm. Not a teacher, a companion, guardian, adviser, director. Child called him Master. Could punish child mildly.
Usually Greek slave, to help child learn Greek.
When child put on toga virilis, was relieved of duty, but bond w/ child remained.

School day began before sunrise, children bring candles to study w/, so ceiling blackened.
Lasted until lunchtime and resumed after siesta.
School began on March 24.
Holidays: Saturnalia (17th Dec. to 23rd) Religious festivals w/ games, Market days.
Closed during hot seasons, wealthy families out of town then.

Discipline: Rod + ferule. Plagosus = thrasher (Horace => Orbitus)
Appealed to natural rivalries, offered prizes.

Elementary schools:
Reading, writing, arithmetic were taught.
Pronunciation – syllable by syllable, entire words, then sentences. Pupils repeat this.
Sounds of letters easy, quantity of vowels hard. Spelling not needed : Latin phonetic.
Writing – Used wax tablets. Stilus = pointed piece of wood, bone, metal like pencil.
Teacher traced letters, guide pupil¡¯s hand to write. (Only capital letters.)
Learned to use reed pen + ink on papyrus. Blank sides used sheets practice.
Books, if used, were written by students from dictation.
Cursive – found on walls, scratches on tiles, tablets of memoranda/accounts
Arithmetic – used Roman numerals = harder. Emphasize mental arithmetic
Used fingers also. Abacus = counting board.
Memory training – memorize wise sayings and 12 Tables of the Law
Even after language of 12 Tables obsolete, still learned them.
Time of Cicero, tables dropped from course.

Grammar Schools:
Contact w/ people after Punic Wars extend Roman education.
Greek idea of education was adopted. Learned Greek language. Greek poets.
Grammatica = subject including grammar, literature + simple literary criticism.
Grammaticus = teacher of such a school.
Epics of Homer = standard textbook. Illiad & Odyssey.
Greek, geography, mythology, antiquities, history + ethics. Music + geometry.
Depended on skill of teacher, fragmentary and disconnected. No study of history.
Latin was also studied, but at different schools.
Lack of Latin poetry. Livius Andronicus (3rd cent. BC) translate Odyssey into Latin.
Wrote in Saturnian verse, metric verse used in early days. Beginning of Latin literature.
Replaced by poetry of Terence, Vergil, Horace.

Enunciation was important, oratory important in Roman public life.
Repeat words, clauses and complete sentences.
Also taught rhetoric, but not in detail. 1st cent. BC had special rhetoric schools.

Schools of Rhetoric:
Formed on Greek lines, taught by Greeks = Colleges. Young men not boys in schools.
Students came from wealthy families.
Practice of Composition, some study prose of authors + philosophy.
Began with narration => public speaking.
Took part of famous person, make decision, discuss course of action
Write speech that would be said by person. => Sallust, Livy, Tacitus put in their histories.

Foreign Study:
Wealthy + noble families, promising future. Went abroad => Greece, Rhodes, Asia Minor
Athens = serious study. Many Romans went there. ¡°University for Romans¡±
Roman knew Greek so prepared for the Greek lectures.

Professional Training:
No formal training: Jurisprudence, administration, diplomacy, military tactics.
Observe + experience – become apprentice of successful person in the field.
Cicero under Quintus Mucius Scaevola (jurist), Marcus Caelius Rufus under Cicero
Considered honourable and advantageous for student.
Governors / Generals attended by staff of young men.
Become familiar with administration / war, but no need to be soldiers.
These hid / request leave when Caesar met Ariovistus in battle.

Only wealthy families put sons in full education. Horace was exception. Father was ambitious.
Sent him to Athens. Probably knew Cicero¡¯s son + Messalla



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