Ancient Rome

=== Education ===
{{Main|Education in ancient Rome}}
[[File:Busto maschile.JPG|thumb|[[Roman portraiture]] fresco of a young man with a [[papyrus]] [[scroll]], from [[Herculaneum]], 1st century AD]]

In the early Republic, there were no public schools, so boys were taught to read and write by their parents, or by educated [[List of slaves|slaves]], called ''[[paedagogi]]'', usually of Greek origin.<ref name="Lecture 13">[http://www.historyguide.org/ancient/lecture13b.html Lecture 13: A Brief Social History of the Roman Empire] by Steven Kreis. 11 October 2006. Retrieved 2 April 2007.</ref>{{Sfn|Adkins|Adkins|1998|p=211}}{{Sfn|Werner|1978|p=31}} The primary aim of education during this period was to train young men in agriculture, warfare, [[Culture of ancient Rome|Roman traditions]], and public affairs.<ref name="Lecture 13"/> Young boys learned much about civic life by accompanying their fathers to religious and political functions, including the Senate for the sons of nobles.{{Sfn|Adkins|Adkins|1998|p=211}} The sons of nobles were apprenticed to a prominent [[Politician|political figure]] at the age of 16, and campaigned with the army from the age of 17.{{Sfn|Adkins|Adkins|1998|p=211}} Educational practices were modified after the conquest of the Hellenistic kingdoms in the 3rd century BC and the resulting Greek influence, although Roman educational practices were still much different from Greek ones.{{Sfn|Adkins|Adkins|1998|p=211}}{{Sfn|Duiker|Spielvogel|2001|pages=[https://archive.org/details/worldhistoryto1500duik/page/143 143]}} If their parents could afford it, boys and some girls at the age of 7 were sent to a private school outside the home called a ''[[wikt:ludus|ludus]]'', where a teacher (called a ''litterator'' or a [[wikt:magister|''magister ludi'']], and often of Greek origin) taught them basic reading, writing, arithmetic, and sometimes Greek, until the age of 11.{{Sfn|Adkins|Adkins|1998|p=211}}{{Sfn|Werner|1978|p=31}}<ref name="TexEd">[https://web.archive.org/web/20071225125840/http://www.txclassics.org/exceteducation.htm Roman Education]. Latin ExCET Preparation. Texas Classical Association, by Ginny Lindzey, September 1998. Retrieved 27 March 2007.</ref>

Beginning at age 12, students went to secondary schools, where the teacher (now called a ''grammaticus'') taught them about [[Greek literature|Greek]] and [[Latin literature|Roman literature]].{{Sfn|Adkins|Adkins|1998|p=211}}<ref name="TexEd"/> At the age of 16, some students went on to [[rhetoric]] school (where the teacher, usually Greek, was called a ''[[wikt:rhetor|rhetor]]'').{{Sfn|Adkins|Adkins|1998|p=211}}<ref name="TexEd"/> Education at this level prepared students for legal careers, and required that the students memorise the laws of Rome.{{Sfn|Adkins|Adkins|1998|p=211}}