Rome as a Kingdom:
In early Roman days,
kids did not go to school. 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 sons 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 mother. Girls learned to spin, weave, and sew. The
rich had tutors for the children, but mostly, the kids were taught at
home.
Rome as a Republic:
About 200 BCE, the Romans borrowed some of the ancient Greek system
of education. Although they did not add many subjects, they did begin sending
their boys, and some of their girls, with their father's permission, to school,
outside their home, at age 6 or 7.
The goal of education in ancient Rome was to be an effective
speaker. The school day began before sunrise, as did all work in Rome.
Kids brought candles to use until daybreak. There was a rest for lunch and
the afternoon siesta, and then back to school until late afternoon. No one
knows how long the school year actually was; it probably varied from school
to school. However, one thing was fixed. School began each year on the 24th
of March!
The children studied reading, writing, and counting. They read
scrolls and books. They wrote on boards covered with wax, and used pebbles
to do math problems. 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,
to prepare for a life as an orator.
Did the kids of the poor go to school?
At the poorer levels, no. School
was not free. Nor should anyone imagine large classes in special buildings.
Children, educated outside of the home, were sent to the house of a tutor,
who would group-tutor. Children, educated in the home, were taught by intelligent
and gifted slaves. Children, in poorer homes, did not have slaves to teach
them; they were taught by their parents, as they were in early Roman days.
Rome as
an Empire: During the empire, the Senate lost most of its power.
The emperor was all-powerful. Still, education continued as it did during the
Republic. Kids studied reading, writing, counting, literature, and how to be
an effective speaker.
