CHILDHOOD

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 * //__Purple- Done by Nicole Milofsky__// **
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The majority of the children living during the Roman times did not attend school or have much of an education. The few schools that did exist in Roman society, though, were typically located in towns. Only the wealthier families of Roman society could afford to pay for schooling, while the poor generally had their children work and help out at home. Out of the wealthy children, the boys were the ones who actually attended school to learn of literature, history, and mathmatics. This education was to help them in preparing for their jobs as they grew older. The girls of wealthy Roman families, on the other hand, did not attend school, but instead had an at-home tutor. Education for children in Roman society is quite different than that of today's modern day society.

Source In Rome, all children belonged to their father legally. Children that came from wealthy families attended school, and learned basic things like arithmetic, and literature. At school, wax tablets were used for learning skills. Also, children of different ages were taught different subjects. The older, and wealthier boys were taught grammar, Greek, and a higher level of literature. Extremely wealthy families could afford to pay for a tutor to come and teach their children in that way, but this style of learning was very uncommon.

(http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0210200/ancient_rome/children.htm) (Mona Scheiber).

Ancient roman children legally belonged to their father, even if the parents were divorced. Childhood in ancient Rome depended on each family's wealth. At some times, children were taught by their father. Children coming from wealthy family's went to school, but poor children were unable to attend school because they were needed for work help and they could not afford to pay the tuition. Children from extremely wealthy family's would be taught at home by personal tutors. Children at school were taught by Greek slaves. Most children would pause school at age 11, and girls would be taught how to run a house and how to grow up. Boys could continue school, but many did not. When boys turned 16, they would go back to school and take classes on public speaking.

[] http://library.thinkquest.org/26602/society.htm Photo Source = //__Recreation__// =

The children of Roman society had numerous toys, many of which are similar to those that children play with today. All classes of Roman children had toys, even the very poor. The children had toys ranging from a board game with pebble counters and wooden dolls for the poor children to the luxerious rattles, doll houses, toy soldiers, and "pull-along animals on wheels" of the wealthier children. A few of the dolls Roman children played with even had moveable arms and legs. Though most of Roman toys were for playtime, some of the toys children had were for more educational purposes, such as ivory letters for the practicing of spelling. A slew of the games that children of modern-day society play, Roman children played during ancient times such as tic-tac-toe, leapfrog, "war" with fake swords, and knucklebones ( a game similar to jacks except with bones instead of jacks.) Source Source

Photo Source Photo Source Photo Source =__//Coming of Age/Marriage//__= When a Roman boy came of age, usually around 12- 14 (though there was no set date), he would put aside his toga praetexta, a white toga with a purple stripe on its shoulder, and his bulla, a necklace normally made of gold, aside. He would then don the toga virilis, which was just a pure white toga. This event was normally a great cause of celebration within the family. Woman had no coming of age ceremony, but the closest thing was their marriage. Rich familes married off their daughters at young ages, most likely in their teens. They would then be turned over to their husband's family. [|Bulla] [|Togas] [|Marriage] In ancient Rome, the day a baby was named, or the dies lustricus, was an important occasion. The baby would be given a praenomen, or first name, a second name, the nomen, and a last name, a cognomen. The praenomen would usually be one of 18 common names. The nomen would be from the clan of the babies family, and the cognomen would be from the families branch. The baby would be given little metal trinkets called crepundia and a bulla, made of gold for richer classes or leather for poorer classes, containing charms to cast away the evil numina. The bulla was removed by boys when they got their toga virilus and became citizens of Rome, and girls took them off when they were married.

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