Even before our era, people tried by all means to explore the world. In those days, the sacraments of building architectural buildings lay in the mathematical calculations on which the "foundation" of the future project was based. It was Greek mathematicians who were able to give an impetus to science. And few people know that immigrants from this country built all those systematic canons of raising children, which were further developed by European scientists and philosophers.
What is it about? Of course, about teachers. The Greeks were the first to realize that knowledge is not easy enough to preserve - it needs to be passed on. This is the only way to develop and improve. It was the ancient Hellenes who introduced the system of compulsory primary education and actively developed the school system throughout the country. Even wayward Spartans appreciated the full potential of pedagogy and the opportunities that it opens up for future generations.
In this article, we will consider all the subtleties of learning and reveal an important question in the educational sphere - who in ancient Greece were called teachers?
Nursery chores
Each couple that eventually became a family, had children. And with the advent of the baby, all the responsibilities of the clan were automatically assigned to the spouses: this was respect for traditions, and the adoption of religion, and all cult duties inherent in the generation.
The birth of the firstborn was truly a real triumph. The doors of the house where the nurse was located were decorated with olive branches or woolen threads. The baby was bathed in a tub of water, to which was added olive oil and wine.
But men were not always sure of their paternity. They waited about a week to recognize their facial features in the child, and even then they arranged a real celebration for all the guests.
Warriors from childhood
Education in ancient Greece was carried out in combination with cultural traditions of a particular kind. Of course, there were common canons for the whole people, but each family was individual and with its own desires.
Most emphasized the upbringing of the defender of the homeland, this was implicitly related to the male half.
From childhood, the parents of their children grew on the wise sayings of Homer. In these works everything was painted and structured, especially the rules of human behavior in society. A man had to pay back his duty to his homeland, feats were to be performed only for his people.
Off-year development
Preparation for adulthood was carried out separately for boys and girls, for each their emphasis was placed on learning.
Men were obliged to be able to write, read, know several songs of a military nature, study history and understand in religious rites. Of course, a large bias went to the physical training of fighters. The tests were not easy. Young people experienced the real hardships of a warrior: hunger, pain, unbearable heat, cold and so on.
After such preparatory “courses”, the boys were driven to the altar of the goddess Artemis and beaten with rods. Those who passed this next test set off to wander around the country without any means of living and even with a minimum of clothing. Having endured even this, they were allowed to eat with respectable men and became the elite of society.
Female share
As for the fair half, they were under the guardianship of their nurse or nanny until the age of seven. Then they were taught to spin, weave, care for the household. But here the educational moments from the category of "read, write" were given a minimum of time.
For example, in Athens, the upbringing of girls directly depended on their parents and their wishes, but in Sparta, young beauties were engaged in gymnastic exercises and wrestling on a par with male warriors.
Girls were also taught singing and dancing, as the female role in religious rites was the leading one.
Learning is light
The first ancient schools of Greece arose in the V century. BC. The content of education was very diverse, the bias went into different sciences.
Parents almost from birth determined what their child should be, and depending on their wishes sent to one of the schools:
1. Miletus school - the priority is the humanities, applied and philosophical sciences.
2. The collection of the Pythagoreans - the knowledge of the properties of number and the theory of the unity of the world.
3. The educational institution of Heraclitus of Ephesus - the study of natural phenomena and war.
4. Elea school - discovered the problems of knowing something.
5. Atomists - studied atoms and material particles.
The ancient schools of Greece nevertheless had common features: searches for the initial existence of man, open philosophical teachings and reflections, and explanations of unidentified phenomena that arose in the environment.
This thereby determined the unity of the people, and the difference between the minds was not enormous.
Inappropriate definition
And yet, who in ancient Greece was called a teacher?
Most likely, you will think that these are the people who received special education in order to have some authority in this area in the future. But it is not so.
In ancient times, the turnover of "slaves-educators" contained words identified by meaning. These were mainly men who were unsuitable for physical labor in any field of work, so they cherished the hearth. The cult of family and life was in the first place.
The duty of such a slave was to monitor children under seven years of age. The educator guarded his ward upon leaving the house, accompanied him to school and social events. He also invested in literacy at an elementary level.
All this continued until the age when the children crossed the threshold of maturity and a certain wisdom.
Women in such a profession were not excluded. They were teachers of the Greek language, and mostly they were assigned to small children.
Parenting concepts
Not only in our time, people (for example, in historical research) are asking who they called teachers in ancient Greece.
In those days, teachings on educational methods arose as special trends in philosophy. Theoretical concepts were promoted by great philosophers - Democritus, Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. They identified educational processes with the laws of nature and revealed family traditions through philosophical teachings.
Democritus studied the consciousness of man and his functions.
Socrates established the fact that the best upbringing is a dialogue with students, since only with the help of mutual perception of information will a good result be obtained.
Plato studied more the problem of slavery in pedagogy. He wrote two works - “State” and “Laws”.
Aristotle looked at everything through the prism of the natural world. The purpose of education in his understanding was divided into two parts: the development of the rational and strong-willed sides of the soul.
At one time, Ancient Greece briefly but clearly dictated its own canons in educational processes. And such types of cognition of child psychology spread not only in this country.
Generational knowledge transfer
Today, this ancient knowledge is what teachers operate with, and no matter what subject. All the same, the sources lead to Ancient Greece.
Philosophical teachings may not always be understandable to an ordinary passerby, but those who seek to know the world are not afraid of difficulties.
And people who want and want to work in the field of education are advised to consider the issue of who in ancient Greece were called teachers. Indeed, many years pass, the meaning of some words changes, and as a result, the most valuable treasures - children, suffer.