Childhood and Education
For the first six years, a child stayed at home and was minded by his or her mother and slaves.
Some Roman toys survive
The Pater Familias (father of the family) could often be very strict. Beating a child was an acceptable form of discipline.
Back in the 2nd century AD Tacitus complained that modern children were getting much too cheeky and disrespectful.
Education was not compulsory. It was a luxury that only the rich could afford. Schools were only in the big towns, outside of these, a private tutor would be hired.
Like today, Roman education was divided into three levels: Ludus (Primary School); Grammaticus (Secondary School) and later on a boy might go on to study to be a rhetor (public speaker).
A child would be brought to the Ludus by a slave. There, he would write with a stylus on a wax tablet for practice or with ink on a scroll of papyrus for good work.
Class stopped for lunch and continued in the afternoon.
Some games played by Roman children included "Odds and Evens" a guessing game; a kind of marbles played with nuts and they loved dice games.
At 10 or 11 boys (but not girls) went to the Grammaticus to study Greek, Latin, History, Geography, Geometry, Music and Astronomy.
Third level education centred on being a good public speaker which was really important if you wanted to be a politician.
Papyrus
Papyrus descended from the papyrus-plant. This plant grew on the banks of the Nile in Egypt. It had an angular stalk, from which you could cut out very thin strips. These strips were placed next to each other, and after that, there was a second layer put over it, squared on the first layer. This was pressed all together, and then you had a charta, a sheet of papyrus. A few of these chartae were stuck together. The result was called a volumen, a book-roll.
Parchment
Parchment was comparatively much more expensive then papyrus, but you could keep it much longer. Parchment was made out of specially treated animal's skins, mostly sheepskins. In the beginning, the people made a volumen of parchment too, but later, in the 1st century BC, they invented the codex. The pieces of parchment were now folded and cut, and together with a jacket they formed a book (the codex).
Some Roman toys survive
The Pater Familias (father of the family) could often be very strict. Beating a child was an acceptable form of discipline.
Back in the 2nd century AD Tacitus complained that modern children were getting much too cheeky and disrespectful.
Education was not compulsory. It was a luxury that only the rich could afford. Schools were only in the big towns, outside of these, a private tutor would be hired.
Like today, Roman education was divided into three levels: Ludus (Primary School); Grammaticus (Secondary School) and later on a boy might go on to study to be a rhetor (public speaker).
A child would be brought to the Ludus by a slave. There, he would write with a stylus on a wax tablet for practice or with ink on a scroll of papyrus for good work.
Class stopped for lunch and continued in the afternoon.
Some games played by Roman children included "Odds and Evens" a guessing game; a kind of marbles played with nuts and they loved dice games.
At 10 or 11 boys (but not girls) went to the Grammaticus to study Greek, Latin, History, Geography, Geometry, Music and Astronomy.
Third level education centred on being a good public speaker which was really important if you wanted to be a politician.
Papyrus
Papyrus descended from the papyrus-plant. This plant grew on the banks of the Nile in Egypt. It had an angular stalk, from which you could cut out very thin strips. These strips were placed next to each other, and after that, there was a second layer put over it, squared on the first layer. This was pressed all together, and then you had a charta, a sheet of papyrus. A few of these chartae were stuck together. The result was called a volumen, a book-roll.
Parchment
Parchment was comparatively much more expensive then papyrus, but you could keep it much longer. Parchment was made out of specially treated animal's skins, mostly sheepskins. In the beginning, the people made a volumen of parchment too, but later, in the 1st century BC, they invented the codex. The pieces of parchment were now folded and cut, and together with a jacket they formed a book (the codex).