Page 272 - Encyclopedia Of World History

622 berkshire encyclopedia of world history

The only true conquests, and those which awaken no regret, are the conquests
obtained over ignorance. • Napoleon Bonaparte (1769–1821)

westward and the influence of the Mesopotamian region about the aims and processes of education, as embodied
declined during the middle of the first millennium BCE. in the work of the Sophists and their sternest critic,
Egyptian civilization evolved in the NileValley paralleled Socrates, whose thinking featured centrally in Plato’s and
this history from the fourth millennium BCE, developing Aristotle’s writings.
hieroglyphic writing and arithmetic. Here also, education The Roman Empire and its culture and education
was carried on largely by scribes, who were the driving spread across Europe, but the empire had declined by the
force behind Egyptian civilization, which introduced 6th century CE, leaving behind the legacy of Latin.
astronomy, invented a calendar, created a variety of writ-
ing materials, and emphasized instruction in practical Judaism
subjects. Interwoven with much of the history of education in the
ancient world and with the changing landscape of
Greece and Rome Europe was the religion of the Hebrew people.Their his-
The first literate society of the world was Athens in the tory was concurrent with the western Asian civilizations,
fifth century BCE. In the following century Plato and Aris- but it differs from other civilizations in their adoption of
totle produced the first and most influential theories of monotheism and their repeated migrations, persecution,
the relationship between education and the state.The his- and exiles.The Covenant of the second millennium BCE
tory of Greek civilization begins in the fourth millennium conveyed an injunction to study and to teach the tradi-
BCE and involves both native cultures and those of invad- tions passed on by Moses, the lawgiver. In Cannon, Baby-
ing peoples.The Homeric period of 1100–800 BCE had lon, Egypt, and Persia, and during the Diaspora, rabbis
produced oral traditions and ideals transmitted as poetry studied the laws handed down to Moses by God. Their
and myths that were embodied in written texts by the sev- centuries of scholarship resulted in the compilation of the
enth century BCE. Greek city-states, primarily Sparta and Talmud in the fourth century CE. The Jews were an edu-
Athens, were taking shape. Sparta became known for its cated people, and wherever they went the school became
educational system, which was based on the athletic and as important as the synagogue.
military training of boys who were separated from their
families as early as age seven to prepare them for a role Medieval Europe
in the city’s defense. At the same time Athens developed As Rome declined and was destroyed by incursions of
a democratic framework that involved its free citizens in Germanic tribes in the fifth and sixth centuries, the
all aspects of the city’s life and government; in education Christian church became its major legacy to the con-
a balance was sought between physical education and the querors.While most of the classical Roman culture held
cultivation of music and poetry. little attraction during this time, the church drew popu-
Education was not required by the state, but elemen- lar appeal. It was in conjunction with the church and its
tary education was accessible to almost all the children of institutions that the learning and schooling survived the
free citizens and male literacy was probably extensive. Dark Ages in Europe, spanning the sixth to eleventh
Though interpreted differently than in Sparta, education centuries.
in Athens was closely linked to citizenship—the Athenian
aim was for citizens to be able to take part in debate, to Charlemagne’s Reign
elect and to be elected in order to help foster the ideal The important framework for education for eight cen-
society. Greece already had an alphabet and had devel- turies following the decline of the Holy Roman Empire
oped aspects of astronomy, mathematics, and cosmology. grew out of the relationship between church and state
By the fifth century BCE, Athens also had the capacity to and the dominant role of the church as overseer or
sustain critical theoretical debate, including discussions provider of educational institutions.The emergence of a