DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.5625#0327
294
Survey of the Ancient World
576. Numer-
ous house-
hold servants
chiefly slaves
577. Influ-
ence of
works of
Greek art
and archi-
tecture in
Rome
578. Andro-
nicus and his
translations
of Greek
literature into
Latin (240-
207 B.C.)
579. Greek
influences
in the new
education
in Rome
Such luxury required a great body of household servants-
There was a doorkeeper at the front door (he was called " jan1'
tor " from the Latin word janna, meaning " door "), and froin
the front door inward there was a servant for every small duty
in the house. Almost all these menials were slaves.
While the effect of all this luxury introduced from the East
was on the whole very bad, nevertheless the former pla>n>
matter-of-fact life of the Roman citizen was stimulated and
refined by the most beautiful works of Greek art. Hellenist10
buildings were beginning to appear in Rome, and it was not
long, too, before a Greek theater was erected, improved by the
Romans with awnings, a stage curtain, and seats in the orches-
tra circle where once the Greek chorus had sung (see Plate, p.
At the close of the Sicilian War (241 B.C.) a Greek slave
from southern Italy named Andronicus was given his freedom
by his master at Rome. Seeing the interest of the Romans in
Greek literature, he translated the Odyssey (§ 233) into Latin
as a schoolbook for Roman children. For their elders he like-
wise rendered into Latin the classic tragedies which we have
seen in Athens (§ 369), and also a number of Attic comedies
(§ 372). Through his work the materials and the forms of
Greek literature began to enter Roman life.
The Romans had been accustomed to do very little in the
way of educating their children. There were no schools at first,
but the good old Roman custom had been for the father to in-
struct his own children. Gradually parents began to send their
children to the schools which the freed Greek slaves of Rome
were beginning to open there. Here and there a household
possessed an educated Greek slave, like Andronicus, who be-
came the tutor of the children, teaching his pupils to read from
the new primer of Andronicus, as we may call his Latin trans-
lation of Homer. Besides hearing Greek teachers of renown
who now and then appeared and lectured in Rome, a young
Roman noble would often complete his higher education m
Athens itself (§ 481).
Survey of the Ancient World
576. Numer-
ous house-
hold servants
chiefly slaves
577. Influ-
ence of
works of
Greek art
and archi-
tecture in
Rome
578. Andro-
nicus and his
translations
of Greek
literature into
Latin (240-
207 B.C.)
579. Greek
influences
in the new
education
in Rome
Such luxury required a great body of household servants-
There was a doorkeeper at the front door (he was called " jan1'
tor " from the Latin word janna, meaning " door "), and froin
the front door inward there was a servant for every small duty
in the house. Almost all these menials were slaves.
While the effect of all this luxury introduced from the East
was on the whole very bad, nevertheless the former pla>n>
matter-of-fact life of the Roman citizen was stimulated and
refined by the most beautiful works of Greek art. Hellenist10
buildings were beginning to appear in Rome, and it was not
long, too, before a Greek theater was erected, improved by the
Romans with awnings, a stage curtain, and seats in the orches-
tra circle where once the Greek chorus had sung (see Plate, p.
At the close of the Sicilian War (241 B.C.) a Greek slave
from southern Italy named Andronicus was given his freedom
by his master at Rome. Seeing the interest of the Romans in
Greek literature, he translated the Odyssey (§ 233) into Latin
as a schoolbook for Roman children. For their elders he like-
wise rendered into Latin the classic tragedies which we have
seen in Athens (§ 369), and also a number of Attic comedies
(§ 372). Through his work the materials and the forms of
Greek literature began to enter Roman life.
The Romans had been accustomed to do very little in the
way of educating their children. There were no schools at first,
but the good old Roman custom had been for the father to in-
struct his own children. Gradually parents began to send their
children to the schools which the freed Greek slaves of Rome
were beginning to open there. Here and there a household
possessed an educated Greek slave, like Andronicus, who be-
came the tutor of the children, teaching his pupils to read from
the new primer of Andronicus, as we may call his Latin trans-
lation of Homer. Besides hearing Greek teachers of renown
who now and then appeared and lectured in Rome, a young
Roman noble would often complete his higher education m
Athens itself (§ 481).