Athenian children's education

education-athens

Every time we glance at the Classic Greece we inevitably find the comparison and opposition between Athens and Sparta. This also happens in education: Athenian education versus la spartan education.

There were big differences between the two city-states. The Sparta the education of the young, called Agoge, ran in charge of the state. The sole purpose of this was to train children as future soldiers. In Athens, however, education was private and he had a more global vision, although there could be differences according to each teacher. The general idea in any case was that children cultivate both their body and their intellect. In the following paragraphs we will explain why this approach.

First of all it should be noted that only children had access to this education. The girls were relegated at home, where they were taught by the women in the gynoecium. The goal was for these young Athenians to become good mothers and housewives in adult life. Except for minor differences, this was common in all Greek cities.

The Paideia

The educational system of classical Athens was known as Paidia. Generally speaking, the goal of this education was to enable male children to attain a higher moral state. On a more pragmatic level, the aim was to provide society with well-prepared men to assume the political and military burdens that they would have to face as citizens in adulthood.

Socrates statue

Socrates educated many young men of the Athenian aristocracy until he was sentenced to death on charges of corrupting the youth.

The spirit of the Paideia was based on four pillars o kalakogathia:

  • Physical beauty through personal care and exercise.
  • Moral dignity, to distinguish good from evil.
  • Wisdom, acquired through knowledge.
  • Courage, an essential quality to use the previous three well.

Until the age of seven, boys and girls shared basic teachings, a series of values ​​and models of behavior that the nannies and the slaves in charge of their care transmitted to the little ones through oral tradition: myths, poems, Homeric, stories of heroes , etc. Wealthy families had a cultured slave called pedagogue, which used to be in charge of these tasks.

Stages of Athenian education

La segregation it was produced when reaching the age of seven. Then the boys began their formative journey in the public school or didascaleo. There, the grammatists It taught them to read and write, in addition to introducing them to the basic concepts of mathematics. The students sat on benches and used wax boards and papyri to do their homework. Physical punishment was common and well regarded. Musical training, present in all stages, was one of the fundamental subjects. The teacher in charge of this matter was known as kitharists.

From the age of 12, children were initiated into sports: wrestling, jumping, racing, throwing, swimming ... Children spent many hours in the gym, but they also practiced a lot of exercise outdoors, always totally naked and under the supervision of the paedotribes. The importance of sports was such that over time the schools of philosophy became known as Gyms.

When they reached the age of 18, the young people became ephebos. The ephebia it lasted two years and was the most important stage in the formation of young Athenians. During this period, they were trained in the art of war (military training) and taught to become responsible citizens, good speakers, and effective public managers.

Education of Alexander the Great

Aristotle (teacher) and Alexander (student) in a XNUMXth century engraving.

Young people from the richest families extended their education beyond the age of 21 at the hands of prestigious philosophers and teachers. A well-known case is that of the young Alexander the Great, whose education in Athens was carried out by the very Aristotle.

A controversial aspect of Athenian education (and Greek education in general) was the tendency for them to develop intimate relationships between an adult teacher and an adolescent student. Sometimes these relationships took on a clearly sexual aspect, which was socially accepted.

The Sophists and Athenian education

In addition to sports, military arts and music, in the education of Athenian children and youth there were certain subjects or subjects that were of paramount importance for the formation of future citizens of the polis. These subjects were taught by the Sophists to students who opted for higher education after the ephebia stage.

Who were the Sophists? Basically general higher education teachers. His teachings were oriented towards a specific goal: the formation of educated and eloquent speakers. These qualities were essential for success in political life, where many decisions depended on the ability of speakers to convince citizens of one idea or another.

This goal was achieved by training students in the following subjects:

  • Dialectics, also known as "the art of discussion." Teachers trained their students by teaching them to make two speeches in which one idea and the opposite were defended.
  • Mathemata, subject that included among other things arithmetic, geometry, harmony and astronomy.
  • Rhetoric, "The art of speaking." Lees were instructed in the ability to persuade the audience through the word.

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  1.   loneliness said

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    THANK YOU SO MUCH !! ♥♥♥

  2.   Maria Paula said

    This re good !! .. Thank you so much !!! 😀

  3.   Paul said

    this one for the tail they fit giles hahahahaha