Reflection 15

Education in ancient Athens was based on the arts in order to prepare the inhabitants of Athens for peace and war. Girls did not go to school but some were taught to read and write in the comforts of their own homes. Although the schools in Athens were private, the price was so cheap that even the less fortunate parents were still able to afford to send their children there for at least a few years. Parents generally were allowed to raise their children however they wanted until the boys reached 18 and had to go through two years of military training.

The boys of Athens attended school from about age 6-14. Books weren't as popular as they are today and were much more costly so the students were taught orally. Literature was the vital part of the Athenian school, but it also had a very art enriched curriculum. The boys were taught gymnastics, calisthenics, how to move gracefully, running, discus, wrestling, javelin throwing, and many more.

As aforementioned, literature was the most vital part of the Athenian school; the Iliad and the Odyssey was the most important piece the people of Athens used to teach their students. The students would write down, memorize, and dramatize passages from Homer's epics.

Education in Ancient Rome was very important to the citizens. While the less fortunate citizens couldn't afford to send their children to school, they sometimes still learned to read and write through less formal education. The children of the more fortunate however were taught by private tutors. The basis for learning in the Ancient Romanian schools was to instill fear in the pupils. If a child would get an answer wrong they were sometimes held down by two slaves and beaten by their tutor with a leather whip.

Unlike the education system in Ancient Athens, the education system in Ancient Rome was very strict. There was not an array of subjects to do and all the children learned was that something was right not why it was right but just that it was right and that's final. So one can say the education system in Ancient Athens was much more flexible than that of the one in Ancient Rome.