SCHOOLING AND INVENTIONS
In ancient Rome, wealthy children went to school to learn reading, writing, math, and public speaking. Romans were also great inventors, creating concrete, aqueducts, roads, and even books, leaving behind ideas that shaped the world.
SCHOOLING
In ancient Rome, schooling had many similarities and differences to our education system today. Roman children learned reading, writing, and math at a young age, just like modern students. Instead of notebooks, they used wooden tablets covered with wax, where they wrote using a pointed stylus. Mistakes could be smoothed over with the flat end, which is not so different from how students today erase pencil marks. As Roman society advanced, boys studied literature, history, and rhetoric to prepare for public life, while girls were often taught with a focus on the home. Wealthier girls might learn reading, writing, music, or household management, but education for women was generally limited compared to that of men. Just as today, wealth made a big difference in opportunity—affluent families could hire private tutors, while children of less wealthy families had fewer options. Still, Roman schooling introduced structure, discipline, and a love of knowledge that echoes the environment of modern classrooms, even if access and expectations were not the same for everyone.
INVENTIONS
Many inventions from ancient Rome still influence modern life, showing how deeply Roman innovation shapes our world. Their aqueducts, which used gravity to transport fresh water across vast distances, were remarkably advanced and served as the foundation for today’s water supply and distribution systems. Roman roads, carefully constructed in layers for durability and drainage, became the blueprint for modern highways, enabling efficient transportation and communication. The Romans also developed early concrete using volcanic ash, a material so strong that some of their structures, like the Pantheon, still stand today. The incorporation of this material in ancient architecture inspired the use of reinforced concrete in almost all modern construction. Public baths were not only places for hygiene, but also centers for socializing and relaxation, similar to today’s spas, gyms, and community pools. Their complex sewage systems, like the Cloaca Maxima, set the stage for modern urban sanitation and waste management. Entertainment spaces such as the Colosseum introduced tiered seating and crowd control methods that are still used in stadiums and arenas today. Roman legal systems, particularly the codification of laws like the Twelve Tables, heavily influenced modern civil law across Europe and beyond. Romans also pioneered multi-story housing with their insulae, which resemble modern apartment buildings in function and layout. The Julian calendar introduced a solar-based system that was later refined into the Gregorian calendar we use now. Additionally, the hypocaust system for underfloor heating is a direct ancestor of modern radiant floor heating and HVAC systems. Even their state-run postal system, the “cursus publicus”, mirrors the structure of modern postal and courier services.