Athens

Children began formal education at the age of seven. The boys of wealthy families were escorted to school by a pedagogue, who had the power to discipline them if they disobeyed. Girls were taught at home by their mothers.

There were three types of schools: (1) the letters school for reading and writing; (2) the music school for lyric poetry and the lyre; (3) the gymnastic school, or palaestra. These were private schools for which parents paid fees to the masters. Letters and music schools were attended in the morning, and the gymnastic school in the afternoon.

Teaching was mechanical. The order for teaching reading was the alphabet, then syllables, then words. The actual reading was word-calling. However, the teaching of poetry, music, and gymnastics was quite advanced. There were no blackboards or desks.

For writing, the teacher drew on a wax tablet with a stylus. The student would trace the copy until he had learned it. Then the teacher would dictate a line of poetry. The boy would write it and memorize it.

Arithmetic was not usually taught. In business, arithmetic was carried out on the fingers or on an abacus.

Music was taught after writing had been learned. This subject was important for social purposes. Music was considered a means of forming character.

In gymnastics, the pentathlon provided the basis for exercises. This subject was also used to develop courage in the students.

In the Periclean Age, literary and grammatical instruction were developed. In the schools, children studied and memorized poetry. In higher education, such disciplines as rhetoric, grammar, logic, geography, medicine, and political theory were taught.