ANCIENT GREEK EDUCATION
Greek education was a huge role in ancient Greek life since the founding of the Poleis, until the Hellenistic and Roman period. From the origin of education in the Homeric and the Aristocratic tradition, Greek education infinitely democratized in the 5th century BC. There were two forms of education in Ancient Greece: formal and informal. Formal Greek education was principally for men, and wasn’t offered to slaves, manual laborers, or women. In some Poleis, laws were passed to forbid the education of slaves. A young lady would receive informal education from her mother, who taught her how to maintain a household, to serve her father, and later in life-her husband.
Greek education focused mainly on training an “entire person”, which include education of the mind, body, and imagination. The precise purposes of Greek education diverged from polis to polis. The Spartans placed a high importance on military training, while the Athenians, by tradition, gave more attention to music, literature, dance, and later also to the natural sciences, which included biology and chemistry, as well as philosophy, rhetoric, and sophistry-the art of presenting an argument using deception and reason to convince the public to agree with a certain point of view. The Spartans also taught music and dance, but with the purpose of enhancing their maneuverability as soldiers.
Athenian System
Elementary:
In their early years, Athenian children were taught at home, and sometimes under the supervision of a master. They were taught basic principles, until they began elementary education at about seven years of age. Children were taught how to read, write, count and draw. Reading and writing were taught at the same time, and students would write using a stylus, with which they would
write onto a wax-covered board. When children were ready to begin reading whole works, they would often be given poetry to memorize and recite.
Gymnasium:
Having a physically fit body was extremely important to the Greeks. Physical training was seen as necessary for improving one’s appearance, preparation for war, and good health at an old age. Greek boys would begin physical education either during or just after beginning their elementary education. In the beginning they would learn from a private teacher known to them as a paidotribe. Eventually, the boys would begin training at the gymnasium.
Secondary and Post-Secondary:
After turning fourteen years old, boys from wealthy families had the option of attending secondary school. A secondary school might have been an everlasting one, or it could have been received from traveling teachers. Secondary education included subjects such as natural science (biology and chemistry), rhetoric (the art of speaking or writing effectively), geometry, sophistry, astronomy and meteorology. The teaching of these subjects became greatly valued within Athenian society, because the Athenians believed that intelligent education was a key component of a person’s individuality, making up a significant part of a person’s reputation. Accomplishments in academics could help an individual gain the respect of his peers.
Boys could continue their education after secondary school by obtaining Ephebic training, which was military training. They could petition to become an Ephebe, or soldier, at the age of eighteen. In 5th century BC, Ephebic training began as a military education, followed by two years of military service. Later, however, more advanced academic schooling was included.
Other:
As mentioned earlier, children of poor families were often unable to receive a formal education. These children, however, were not totally forgotten. Solon, a Athenian leader who lived during the 7th to mid-6thcenturies BC, did a lot to reform his polis, and encouraged poor fathers to provide their sons with a occupational education. By teaching these children a trade, they could also be viewed as productive members of Athenian society.
Music and dance education were also very important to Athens. Throughout the many stages of an individual’s education, he was encouraged to practice dancing, singing and the playing of instruments. Common instruments used in Athens included the harp, flute and lyre. By advancing in dance, singing and the playing of instruments, an Athenian would help continue a tradition that was a key part of Athenian history.
Spartan System
Agoge:
Military domination was of great importance to the Spartans of Ancient Greece. In response, the Spartans structured their educational system as an extreme form of military boot camp, which they referred to as Agoge. The pursuit of intellectual knowledge was seen as minor and as a result, academic learning, such as reading and writing, was kept to a minimum. A Spartan boy’s life was dedicated almost entirely to his school, and that school had but one purpose: to produce an almost indestructible Spartan unit.
Formal education for a Spartan male began at about the age of seven when the state removed the boy from the guardianship of his parents and sent him to live in a station with many other boys his age. For all objectives and purposes, the stations were his new home, and the other males living in the stations were his family.
For the next five years, until about the age of twelve, the boys would eat, sleep and train within their stationed unit and received instruction from an adult male citizen who had completed all of his military training and experienced battle. The instructor stressed discipline and exercise and saw to it that his students received little food and minimal clothing in an effort to force the boys to learn how to hunt, steal and endure extreme hunger, all of which would be necessary skills in the course of a war.
Those boys who survived the first stage of training entered into a secondary stage in which punishments became tougher and physical training and participation in sports was almost non-stop in order to build up strength and endurance. During this stage, which lasted until the males were about eighteen years old, fighting within the division was encouraged, mock battles were performed, acts of courage were praised, and signs of weakness and disobedience were severely punished.
During the mock battles, the young men were formed into groups to learn to maneuver as if they were one body and not a group of individuals. To be more efficient and effective during maneuvers, students were also trained in dancing and music, because this would enhance their ability to move gracefully as a unit. Toward the end of this phase of the Agoge, the trainees were expected to hunt down and kill a Helot (a Greek slave). If the student did not commit murder, he would be condemned and disciplined-not for committing murder, but for his inability to complete the murder without being seen.
Ephebe:
The students would graduate from the Agoge at the age of eighteen and receive the title of Ephebes. Upon becoming an Ephebe (soldier), the male would pledge firm and complete allegiance to Sparta and would join a private organization to continue training in which he would compete in gymnastics, hunting and performance with planned battles using real weapons. After two years, at the age of twenty, this training was finished and the now grown men were officially viewed as Spartan soldiers.
Education of Spartan Women:
Spartan women, unlike Athenians, received a formal education that was supervised and controlled by the state. Much of the public schooling received by the Spartan women revolved around physical education. Until about the age of eighteen women were taught to run, wrestle, throw a discus, and also to throw spears. The skills of the young women were tested regularly in competitions such as the annual footrace at the Heraea of Elis. In addition to physical education ,the young girls also were taught to sing, dance, and play instruments. The Spartan educational system for females was very strict, because its purpose was to train future mothers of soldiers in order to maintain the strength of Sparta’s units, which were essential to Spartan defense and culture.
Greek education focused mainly on training an “entire person”, which include education of the mind, body, and imagination. The precise purposes of Greek education diverged from polis to polis. The Spartans placed a high importance on military training, while the Athenians, by tradition, gave more attention to music, literature, dance, and later also to the natural sciences, which included biology and chemistry, as well as philosophy, rhetoric, and sophistry-the art of presenting an argument using deception and reason to convince the public to agree with a certain point of view. The Spartans also taught music and dance, but with the purpose of enhancing their maneuverability as soldiers.
Athenian System
Elementary:
In their early years, Athenian children were taught at home, and sometimes under the supervision of a master. They were taught basic principles, until they began elementary education at about seven years of age. Children were taught how to read, write, count and draw. Reading and writing were taught at the same time, and students would write using a stylus, with which they would
write onto a wax-covered board. When children were ready to begin reading whole works, they would often be given poetry to memorize and recite.
Gymnasium:
Having a physically fit body was extremely important to the Greeks. Physical training was seen as necessary for improving one’s appearance, preparation for war, and good health at an old age. Greek boys would begin physical education either during or just after beginning their elementary education. In the beginning they would learn from a private teacher known to them as a paidotribe. Eventually, the boys would begin training at the gymnasium.
Secondary and Post-Secondary:
After turning fourteen years old, boys from wealthy families had the option of attending secondary school. A secondary school might have been an everlasting one, or it could have been received from traveling teachers. Secondary education included subjects such as natural science (biology and chemistry), rhetoric (the art of speaking or writing effectively), geometry, sophistry, astronomy and meteorology. The teaching of these subjects became greatly valued within Athenian society, because the Athenians believed that intelligent education was a key component of a person’s individuality, making up a significant part of a person’s reputation. Accomplishments in academics could help an individual gain the respect of his peers.
Boys could continue their education after secondary school by obtaining Ephebic training, which was military training. They could petition to become an Ephebe, or soldier, at the age of eighteen. In 5th century BC, Ephebic training began as a military education, followed by two years of military service. Later, however, more advanced academic schooling was included.
Other:
As mentioned earlier, children of poor families were often unable to receive a formal education. These children, however, were not totally forgotten. Solon, a Athenian leader who lived during the 7th to mid-6thcenturies BC, did a lot to reform his polis, and encouraged poor fathers to provide their sons with a occupational education. By teaching these children a trade, they could also be viewed as productive members of Athenian society.
Music and dance education were also very important to Athens. Throughout the many stages of an individual’s education, he was encouraged to practice dancing, singing and the playing of instruments. Common instruments used in Athens included the harp, flute and lyre. By advancing in dance, singing and the playing of instruments, an Athenian would help continue a tradition that was a key part of Athenian history.
Spartan System
Agoge:
Military domination was of great importance to the Spartans of Ancient Greece. In response, the Spartans structured their educational system as an extreme form of military boot camp, which they referred to as Agoge. The pursuit of intellectual knowledge was seen as minor and as a result, academic learning, such as reading and writing, was kept to a minimum. A Spartan boy’s life was dedicated almost entirely to his school, and that school had but one purpose: to produce an almost indestructible Spartan unit.
Formal education for a Spartan male began at about the age of seven when the state removed the boy from the guardianship of his parents and sent him to live in a station with many other boys his age. For all objectives and purposes, the stations were his new home, and the other males living in the stations were his family.
For the next five years, until about the age of twelve, the boys would eat, sleep and train within their stationed unit and received instruction from an adult male citizen who had completed all of his military training and experienced battle. The instructor stressed discipline and exercise and saw to it that his students received little food and minimal clothing in an effort to force the boys to learn how to hunt, steal and endure extreme hunger, all of which would be necessary skills in the course of a war.
Those boys who survived the first stage of training entered into a secondary stage in which punishments became tougher and physical training and participation in sports was almost non-stop in order to build up strength and endurance. During this stage, which lasted until the males were about eighteen years old, fighting within the division was encouraged, mock battles were performed, acts of courage were praised, and signs of weakness and disobedience were severely punished.
During the mock battles, the young men were formed into groups to learn to maneuver as if they were one body and not a group of individuals. To be more efficient and effective during maneuvers, students were also trained in dancing and music, because this would enhance their ability to move gracefully as a unit. Toward the end of this phase of the Agoge, the trainees were expected to hunt down and kill a Helot (a Greek slave). If the student did not commit murder, he would be condemned and disciplined-not for committing murder, but for his inability to complete the murder without being seen.
Ephebe:
The students would graduate from the Agoge at the age of eighteen and receive the title of Ephebes. Upon becoming an Ephebe (soldier), the male would pledge firm and complete allegiance to Sparta and would join a private organization to continue training in which he would compete in gymnastics, hunting and performance with planned battles using real weapons. After two years, at the age of twenty, this training was finished and the now grown men were officially viewed as Spartan soldiers.
Education of Spartan Women:
Spartan women, unlike Athenians, received a formal education that was supervised and controlled by the state. Much of the public schooling received by the Spartan women revolved around physical education. Until about the age of eighteen women were taught to run, wrestle, throw a discus, and also to throw spears. The skills of the young women were tested regularly in competitions such as the annual footrace at the Heraea of Elis. In addition to physical education ,the young girls also were taught to sing, dance, and play instruments. The Spartan educational system for females was very strict, because its purpose was to train future mothers of soldiers in order to maintain the strength of Sparta’s units, which were essential to Spartan defense and culture.
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Ancient Greek Alphabet. Just click--->Greek Alphabet Powerpoints
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