The power and lasting influence of the culture in which Alexander was raised, and which he spread, came from the Greek reverence for learning and for providing education with a philosophical basis. During Hellenism, education became more widespread in both Greece and the former Persian Empire, but in both societies it was exclusively available to the wealthy and, for the most part, only to boys.
Among the poor, the level of literacy in Greece was very low. Most poor people could do little more than sign their names. It was easy, however, for most people to find someone who could read to them if they needed to understand a written text, such as a letter. Most communication was therefore oral rather than written. This meant most people were
Able to absorb a lot of information by ear. Even those who could read usually read out loud. Both rich and poor Greeks liked songs, speeches, and stories, and memorized many of them. In Persia, too, most people were illiterate, and recited stories and poems from memory.
In contrast, male children of wealthy Greek parents were highly educated. That education was aimed at the complete individual, as Greeks had little respect for specialists, not even great athletes or philosophers. Their ideal man was someone who was both a philosopher and an athlete, who could take part intelligently in public affairs and also fight well. He would also have to be a witty guest at a party or banquet, since lively conversation was highly valued.
Great Teacher
Aristotle teaches Alexander in this 17th century European drawing. Aristotle was considered one of the greatest scholars and philosophers of his day, and is still widely admired.
The Greeks believed that a healthy body was necessary for a good mind. Boys attended different schools for mental and physical training. Wealthier families might hire a private tutor or have a household slave, called a pedagogue, teach children at home.
Greek boys from well-to-do families started going to school when they were seven years old. Until the age of 14, they focused on reading, writing, numbers, and music. They learned to read by studying Homer’s two great works, The Iliad and The Odyssey. To practice writing, they used a sharp wooden stick, called a stylus, to write on a waxed wooden block that could be scraped clean and used again and again. When the wax wore
Down to the wood, they simply applied more wax. Boys learned numbers using pebbles and an abacus, or counting board. Students who misbehaved in class were struck with a rod.
In music school, boys learned to play pipes as well as the flute and the lyre, a stringed instrument with a sound box made from the shell of a tortoise. The strings were plucked with a disk called a plectrum (a word we still use in English). At almost every Greek social event, music was played.
When boys reached the age of 14, other subjects were added to their curriculum. These included geometry, literature, astronomy, drawing, rhetoric (the art of discourse and speechmaking, communication, and interpretation), and sports. Sports took place in a gymnasium, where boys exercised naked. The main sport was wrestling. The goal of a wrestling match was to force the opponent’s shoulders to the ground three times. Boys were also taught to dance.
The Art of Rhetoric
Rhetoric and oratory were important aspects of a Greek education. Oratory is the art of speaking well in public. Rhetoric is the skill of marshalling arguments that inspire and per-suade. A person might have one skill and lack the other. The truly accomplished person, such as Alexander, had both. His career is punctuated by a series of rousing speeches that inspired his soldiers when the odds were against them.
Perhaps Alexander's most famous speech is the one he gave at Opis about a year before his death. He spoke of his vision for a united empire, and prevented his army from mutinying. Known as the Oath of Alexander, the speech urged people to live in peace as one nation, without distinguishing between Greeks and "barbarians." Although many people have pointed to the Oath of Alexander as an inspiring call for peace and world unity, many historians doubt the authenticity of any versions of the speech that are today circulated.
Higher education began in the fourth century B. C.E. in Athens, at the academy founded by the philosopher Plato (427-347 B. C.E.). Schools of philosophy were available for men over 18. These provided more or less a college education. The leading philosopher of the school would deliver lectures, conduct panel discussions, and pose questions to the students.
World History
