Summary
Highlights
This video series will explore the secrets of pedagogy and the educational process, how it has changed over time, and how culture was disseminated in ancient civilizations. It will cover who held knowledge, who the recipients were, and the tools used for teaching and learning.
Pedagogy examines many aspects of the formative process, including the goals and objectives of education, learning environments, the role of educators, teaching methods, and didactic tools used to spread culture. It also analyzes curricula organized by age group and various learning modalities across different civilizations.
In ancient Egypt and Sumerian-Babylonian civilizations (Mesopotamia), culture was exclusive and primarily held by priests. These priests developed a comprehensive knowledge base covering astrology, mathematics, and medicine. Their knowledge granted them immense power, allowing them to administer kingdoms, compile calendars, and design buildings. Writing was considered a sacred science, equal to other technical-scientific knowledge.
Around the third millennium BC, temples were the main centers for acquiring knowledge. They served as religious schools where future priests learned religious secrets rigorously and gradually, alongside other disciplines. As these societies evolved, the need for broader knowledge dissemination led to the rise of scribes. Initially trained by priests, scribes eventually became specialized teachers, forming a new class of bureaucrats and administrators.
The scribes' curriculum included reading, writing, and arithmetic, along with ethical-religious and professional training. This led to the establishment of dedicated schools, separate from temples, which were well-organized with equipped environments, structured materials, and specialized teachers. Archaeological findings, such as stone benches and clay tablets, confirm the existence of these ancient schools.
Education was divided into three fundamental stages: primary instruction, higher instruction, and professional apprenticeship. Primary education focused on basic knowledge for community life, while higher education offered more specific and advanced learning. The professional apprenticeship involved practical service after theoretical studies, a system similar to modern internships. The main subjects taught were reading, writing, arithmetic, mathematics, and geometry, with increasing levels of difficulty.
The schooling in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, with its rigorous teachings, produced highly educated individuals capable of administering a country. This concludes the discussion on ancient education.