Education
In the early Republic, there were no public schools, so boys were taught to read and write by their parents, or by educated slaves, called paedagogi, usually of Greek origin.
The primary aim of education during this period was to train young men in agriculture, warfare, Roman traditions, and public affairs. |
If their parents could afford it, boys and some girls at the age of 7 were sent to a private school outside the home called a ludus, where a teacher (called a litterator or a magister ludi, and often of Greek origin) taught them basic reading, writing, arithmetic, and sometimes Greek, until the age of 11.
Beginning at age 12, students went to secondary schools, where the teacher (now called a grammaticus) taught them about Greek and Roman Literature. At the age of 16, some students went on to rhetoric school (where the teacher, usually Greek, was called arhetor). Education at this level prepared students for legal careers, and required that the students memorize the laws of Rome. |