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Classical Athens Education. www.misterconnor.org. Beginnings. Boys were sent to school aged seven. Their schooling could last up to ten years. No state education system existed – all education was privately funded. Thus education was available only to well-off families.
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Classical AthensEducation www.misterconnor.org
Beginnings • Boys were sent to school aged seven. • Their schooling could last up to ten years. • No state education system existed – all education was privately funded. • Thus education was available only to well-off families. • That said, education was cheap and the majority of Athenians seem to have been literate.
Etymology • The word school derives from Greek σχολή (scholē), originally meaning "leisure" and also "that in which leisure is employed“. • Only those with enough money not to work could have this luxury.
Model Parents • Much learning came from the example set by parents. • A father was a model as kyrios (Ancient Greek: κύριος, translit. kýrios), the head of the household (οἶκος). • A father would also teach his son his trade.
Paidogogos • A paidogogos was a paid tutor. • His duties included escorting the son to and from school (and carrying his bag); sit in on lessons and provide academic help; provide an example of correct manners and decorum; to report on the son’s progress to the father. • This was not a prestigious position – very low-paid.
Schools • There were no schools. • Pupils would study with a teacher in private rooms. • A bench and table would be provided – but little else. • School started early in the morning and would be done by lunch. • Most teachers were slaves or foreigners (metics), and thus were not respected.
Curriculum • There were three areas of study for pupils: • Academic studies; musical studies; physical education. • Parents would often send their children to a different school for each discipline.
Academic Studies • Aged seven, a boy was sent to a grammatistes where he learned the alphabet and how to read and write. • Much learning was rote – by heart and repetition. • Discipline was administered with a cane or sandal. • Like the Romans, a wax tablet and stylus was used to practice writing. • Numeracy was taught with an abacus.
Assessment • When the basics were grasped, pupils began the most important work: learning famous literature by heart • No exams. • Small classes (maximum of twelve), mixed ability.
Musical Studies • Around the age of ten or eleven, boys attended a music teacher (the kitharistes). • Music was respected in the adult world so it was important for a child to have some understanding of it. • Music was a characteristic of a cultured man. Achilles, perhaps the greatest warrior in mythology, is also an accomplished musician. • Boys learned to play the kithara by ear, and then to accompany it with song. • Some poems (including the Iliad and Odyssey) were composed to be recited to music.
Physical Education • Physical Education was an essential part of preparation for the Athenian army. • Cities funded gymnasia which were similar to the Roman baths – they provided a practical function as well as serving as a place for leisure. • At the gymnasium would be a palaistra (exercise area) – just like at the Roman baths. • Plato’s school – the Academy – was in a gymnasium.
The P.E. Teacher • This was a paidotribes (literally, “the exhauster of boys”). • He wore a purple cloak and carried a forked stick, which would be used to discipline boys. • Pupils were taught the various sports involved at the various Greek games: running, long-jump, javelin, discus, wrestling and boxing. • The Greeks also believed in a healthy body in a healthy mind (mens sana in corpore sano as the Romans put it).
The Sophists • Basic education ended at fourteen. • A new kind of education emerged in the fifth century BCE in Ionia (in modern day Turkey). • These teachers were called sophists (literally “wise men”). • These men gave public lectures (for a fee) and travelled widely. • These teachers talked in a more advanced way about ethics, history, geography, literature, astronomy and other subjects.)
The Rhetor • The most-demanded subject at a higher level was rhetoric. • This was the ability to speak in public to a large crowd – and to persuade them. • Skill as a rhetor could lead to a successful political career. • These lessons were expensive and only available to those who could afford to pay the sophists. • Some people came to believe sophists taught men how to lie.
The Skinny • Start at age seven; No state education system • Majority of Athenians seem to have been literate • A father would also teach his son his trade • A paidogogos was a paid tutor • Most teachers were slaves or metics • Academic studies; musical studies; physical education • Most learning was rote – by heart and repetition • Sophists taught to a higher level • Rhetoric was the most-desired education; it enabled a political career
Sources • Pomeroy, S. B., et al. (2015). A Brief History of Ancient Greece: Politics, Society, and Culture. New York: Oxford University Press. • Hornblower, S., & Spawforth, A. (2004). The Oxford Companion to Classical Civilization. Oxford: Oxford University Press. • Renshaw, J. (2008). In search of the Greeks. London: Bristol Classical Press.
