Education in Ancient Rome
From the Elder Cato to the Younger Pliny
Routledge – 2012
This volume examines the development, structure and role of education from the third century B.C to the time of Trajan, a period which saw great changes in Roman society. When originally published it was the first complete review of the subject for half a century and was based on a new collection and analysis of ancient source material. The book is divided into three parts. The first provides historical background, showing the effects upon the educational system of Rome’s transition from a predominantly agricultural community to a great metropolis; it traces the development of primary, grammar and rhetoric schools, and discusses educational standards both in early Rome and under the Empire, when advanced teaching was more widely available, but often adversely affected by weakening social values and diminished parental control. The volume goes on to describe the physical conditions of teaching – accommodation, equipment, discipline, the economic position of teachers and the fee-paying system, and the part played by the State. Finally, he gives a full appraisal of the standard teaching programme, from the elementary study of the three Rs, to the theory and practice of rhetoric, in which the needs of the future advocate were constantly borne in mind.
Preface. Part 1: The Historical Background. 1. Early Roman Upbringing. 2. Education within the Family. 3 Education Within the Family (continued). 4. Primary Schools and ‘pedagogues’. 5. Schools of Grammar and Literature. 6. The Rhetoric Schools and Their Critics. 7. Cicero and the Ideal of Oratorical Education. 8. The Roman Student Abroad. 9. Education In a Decadent Society. Part 2: Conditions of Teaching. 10. The Problem of Accommodation. 11. Equipment organization; discipline. 12. The Hazards of a Fee-Paying System. Part 3: The Standard Teaching Programme. 13. Primary Education: reading, writing and reckoning. 14. The Grammatical Syllabus. 15: The Grammatical Syllabus (continued). 16. Study of the Poets. 17. Study of the Poets (continued). 18. Progress Into Rhetoric: preliminary exercises. 19. Declamations on historical themes. 20. Learning the Art of the Advocate. 21. Declamation as a Preparation for the Lawcourts. Conclusion. List of Abbreviations. Notes. Bibliography. Index.