You may have heard the saying, "knowledge is power." And how do we gain knowledge? Through education, of course.
For most of human history, a great majority of people were uneducated, at least in the traditional sense. By that I mean that most people did not know how to read and write, were not familiar with the workings of government or law, and could not do anything beyond the simplest math. That's not to say that they were not educated in some way.
Throughout history, most children's education came from their parents. If you were the son of a farmer in ancient Mesopotamia, you would learn the ways of a farmer. You would then take over the family farm and pass that knowledge down to your children. If you were a girl in ancient Mesopotamia, you learned the incredibly important skills of your mother - cooking, raising children, caring for the family, making clothes, possibly creating pottery, etc. In other words, you learned the occupation of your mother or father.
The Sumerians, however, created the first known formal education system (schools). These schools taught the skills of a scribe. A scribe was (and is) basically a professional writer. Learning to be a scribe was a possible pathway to the most powerful profession in ancient Mesopotamia - a priest. Priests needed to know how to read and write to keep the records of the ziggurat (a Mesopotamian temple) and to monitor the sun, moon, stars and planets. Scribes could also go to work for the government (keeping track of taxes, building projects, etc.) or for business owners (sales records, harvests, etc.)
The path of a scribe was not easy, however. First, you had to be a member of a wealthy family. It is unlikely that you could get into scribe school if you were the son of a lowly farmer. By the way, scribes were almost exclusively males. Second, you had to attend school for many years to learn the written language (cuneiform), the number system (based on the number 60), and the methods and conventions of a scribe. Much of scribe school consisted of memorizing and copying cuneiform texts from one tablet to another. Scribe teachers ran a tight ship too. Beatings were not uncommon for students that did not perform well or misbehaved.
No, it was not easy, but the student that could make it through school and become a scribe earned the right for many rewards. Scribes were some of the most powerful people in Mesopotamia because they controlled information and knowledge. Anytime you can do something that most people cannot, you have a good chance to be respected, powerful, and possibly very wealthy.
The system sounds similar to ancient Egypt. Becoming a scribe was a tough process, but once qualified he would recieve a well-paid job and much respect
The system sounds similar to ancient Egypt. Becoming a scribe was a tough process, but once qualified he would recieve a well-paid job and much respect
I would say, in regards to those from poorer backgrounds, the Egyptian model was better, as it didn't require the person to have come from a wealthy family.
What a handsome figure of a dragon. No wonder I fall madly in love with the Alani Dragon now, the avatar, it's a gorgeous dragon picture.
"...Boys of wealthy families attend school, while girls are educated at
home.The school is located next to the royal palace, and is a part of
the complex because the main object of education is to provide the king
with more government officials. During the morning lessons, the boys
practice their writing exercises.This involves copying words on a damp
clay tablet from a list the teacher has prepared. As they do so, they
must learn the meanings of the signs they are making.
Slovenly work earns a light blow with a wooden rod from the teacher
across the pupil’s shoulders.This is a common occurrence because
pressing the reed stylus into the damp clay to make the wedgeshaped
marks is tiring work—and mistakes are frequent.
The schoolboys are allowed a short break for lunch, probably of bread
and figs that they have brought with them from home. Then it is time for
the afternoon session of oral tests in language and arithmetic. In the
Sumerian world there is no safety net for failures, so—despite being
very typical boys when it comes to school lessons—they take their work
seriously. To be admitted into the palace bureaucracy when they are
older will be the best possible start to their adult lives...." http://stravaganzastravaganza.blogspot.com/2011/12/sumerian-family-life.html
"..."...Early in Sumerian civilization, schooling was associated
with the priesthood and took place in temples. But this changed. Education
apart from the temples arose for the children of affluent
families, which these familes paid for. Most if not all students were males. The students
were obliged to work hard at their studies, from sun up to
sun down. Not believing in change, there was no probing into
the potentials of humankind or study of the humanities. Their
study was "practical." It was rote learning of complex
grammar and practice at writing. Students were encouraged
with praise while their inadequacies and failures were punished
with lashes from a stick or cane...." http://www.fsmitha.com/h1/ch01.htm
Supposedly the kids were instructed in literacy, botany, zoology, math, geology, music - but it was all on rudimentary stage, AFAIK. The school started when the kids were 7 and went on for 10 years - which is a quite good time period, not so different from now. The textbooks we have evidence for, date from say, 2500 BC. For over 2 millenia Sumerian was the language of religion, law, and education as a whole. Some more here http://www.oocities.org/sumeriancivilisation/education.html. This is an interesting article on the topic http://www.sumerian.org/Frayne-ScribalEducation.htm
The Mesopotamian religion is one of the religions created by human
beings. This religion was created in the ancient times. The people who
believed this religion use to draw sketches like pictures on the wall
that used to resemble animals or humans. People with this religion
believed that the sketches they made on the wall would turn in life. For
example if they draw a sketch of an animal then that animal would a
living animal and come in front of them walk, drinking, or eating. This
religion resembles that people believed on magical things. After the
passage of time people began to live together and then they created
places for their Gods and named them as temple in which they use to
worship their Gods.
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