Stoicism and Roman education

Abstract

It is the purpose of this study to analyse in Roman education the considerable number of elements which are attributable to Stoic influences. The field of Roman education to be considered is that encompassed by the teaching of the grammaticus (or secondary schoolmaster) , by the teaching of the rhetor and in the curriculum of the liberal arts or eyMdKXtos uauöeLa, which comprised grammar (literature), rhetoric, dialectic, arithmetic, music, geometry and astronomy. It is the range of education which might cover the ages eleven to eighteen; and it was the general education undertaken by students in Rome following possibly four years of elementary schooling. Because elementary education was concerned with the development of fundamental literacy and numerical skills, it includes no relevant aspects to consider from the point of view of Stoicism; so elementary schooling is not discussed. Also, as it is proposed to study Stoic influences in the standard programme of Roman education as experienced by secondary students, training for such fields as medicine, architecture and law is not discussed. Show more