CHILDHOOD IN ANCIENT ROME - FACTS YOU NEED TO KNOW

For the first six years, a child stayed at home and was minded by his or her mother and slaves. Some Roman toys survive (see handout) The Pater Familias (father of the family) could often be very strict. Beating a child was an acceptable form of discipline. nd Back in the 2 century AD Tacitus complained that modern children were getting much too cheeky and disrespectful (so this attitude is not new!). 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.