Chapters
The first eight days of the birth of the child (primordia) were filled with religious ceremonies. The child was visited by family friends, bringing him all kinds of gifts, such as cakes, flowers, etc. On the ninth day, the child was officially accepted into the family by the nickname (praenomen). Complementing the formalities, were religious ceremonies when it was followed by purification and sacrifice to domestic deities. That day was called either dies lustricus or dies nominium . The entire ceremony on the ninth day was private. From official activities, it was still necessary to submit the child’s name within 30 days of birth to praefectus aerari, while in the provinces to tabulari publici.
Children up to 7 years old were brought up under the care of mothers and domestic service. The mother was responsible for the moral education (pietas) of her sons and daughters. After the age of about 7, the child started education. With regard to boys and girls, only the duration varied. The boys were educated up to the age of 15, while the girls were up to the age of 13. The boy from the age of 7 went under the full protection of his father. The mother took care of her daughters, teaching them household, spinning, sewing and sometimes music.
The father responsible for the education of his son (doctrina) prepared him for private life (running a farm, supervising and managing slaves), for public life (exemplary fulfilment of his duties towards family and service, towards friends and the state) and for military service (games, plays and exercises outdoors, using weapons; throwing a spear and using a shield, hand-to-hand combat, horse riding, swimming and getting used to discomfort, hunger and cold).
The boy usually learned to read from his parents; usually based on the “law of XII tables“, which was also the foundation of civic and patriotic education; they often learned it by heart and recited passages on various occasions.
To deepen patriotic feelings, he listened to stories about the lives of national heroes, learned ballads about their heroic deeds on the battlefields, learned the merits of great politicians, and learned the history of his native country.
At around 17 years of age, the young man dressed in a gown as an adult, he usually left his family home and, under the protection of his father’s friends, was able to participate in the public and political life of the country. Usually, after one year of military service followed.
The first year he served as a simple soldier, then worked in the staff, learned command and wax strategy and took part in military expeditions aimed at increasing and strengthening the power of the state. Military service opened the way to the highest positions and offices.
Education
Children started education, as I mentioned when they were 7 years old. Less affluent citizens, or simply plebs, sent children to public, elementary schools, often located in public buildings, or in tabernacles of Roman houses. They were usually run by people of unknown origin, freedmen. Schools were located in the arcades of the market, on the porches and arbours – protecting the teacher and student from the heat of the sun.
The teaching profession was in widespread contempt, moreover, people for this profession were recruited mainly from slaves or freedmen, most often of Greek origin, who almost monopolized this profession. Parents themselves paid for education, which was often associated with obtaining a low salary for educators. Often, people engaged in this profession sought additional activities to be able to lead their existence under normal conditions. Over time, however, some schools, or rather teachers, gained some prestige, which could eventually result in the patronage of a wealthy Roman by paying him a salary (fee).
At this point, it is worth mentioning that in history it is assumed that the first public school was founded in the third century BCE by Spurius Karwilius, and the state-paid school was founded during the reign of Vespasian.
The school year began after March 23. Not only holidays were free from school, but also all nundines.
Classes began before sunrise when all of Rome was coming to life. The students went to school, provided with candles, which were probably served to them during the first hours of their stay at school. During the lesson, one break for meals was ordered, and after that, the education continued in the afternoon. For instilling knowledge, a cane (farula) was sometimes used to teach students ‘concentration’ and ‘pursuit of development’.
In the 3rd century BCE, arithmetic teachers appeared. calculators (from the word calculus , i.e. a smooth calculating pebble). The curriculum included reading and writing, the beginnings of arithmetic, stories about the history of Rome, ballad recitation, singing patriotic songs and reading XII tables.
Teaching was conducted using the memory method; physical punishment – flogging – was the most frequently used teaching agent. Therefore, the vicinity of the school for the surrounding residents was bothersome, the more so that learning (and therefore also the beating and crying of children) began in the early morning. There was no homework, and numerous holidays and celebrations, as well as holidays during summer and breaks at harvest and vintage, meant that there were many days off from school. Elementary schools were also attended by girls . In times of the republic, educated women could often be found; they exerted a great influence on the intellectual life of the country.
The boys in well-off homes were under the constant care of a teacher (pedagogus , comes , custos or monitor), which he served the function of both educator and teacher. Initially, learning included reading, writing and accounting elements. Over time, the curriculum has changed. Finally, a three-stage teaching process was developed, which was led by various teachers who were:
- Literator – he was a first grade primary school teacher. He taught children to read and write. Under the guidance of an accounting teacher (calculator , librarius), children learned basic mathematical operations. These exercises were first done on the fingers, with the fingers of the left hand used to represent unity and tens, and the right one hundred and thousands. Later, they reached for pebbles to finish on the abacus. In addition, children were taught the multiplication table to which memory was best used. The teacher preached and the children repeated in a chorus. The most important scientific help of the literary was the horn which was a “repressive” tool.
- Gramaticus – its main task was to teach students how to speak and comprehend content. Interpretation and stylistic principles prevailing in poetry and all literary art were also taught. In addition, students were acquainted with music, astronomy, philosophy, geometry and most importantly, grammar. The basic textbook was Homer. In addition to his works, the classics of Liwius Andronikus were also read. It was not until the time of Octavian that there was an influx of younger authors, i.e. Horace, Ovid and others. The reading of the works was accompanied by linguistic and grammatical analysis. Studies with the rhetor often took place in the tabaernae cavities, whether it was the Julium Forum or the former Trajan Forum exaster. The age at which rhetoric started learning depended on the parents and also on the development of the young man.
- Retor – Pronunciation teacher. The science consisted of the theory of pronunciation and exercises, which took two forms: suasoriae – speeches on a given topic (monologues) and controversiae – a combination of prosecutor’s speech and defense. In addition, students made a description of historical figures presenting a specific factual situation and discussed possible scenarios if minor modificat