Britannica AI Icon

Quick Summary

Classical scholarship is the comprehensive study of ancient Greece and Rome, encompassing their history, languages, literature, and culture. This field, often referred to as "classical philology" in continental Europe, aims to understand the ancient world from roughly the 2nd millennium BCE to 500 CE.1

Roman education was heavily influenced by Hellenistic civilization, adopting Greek language and literary traditions. Initially, education was private, but public schools eventually developed. The curriculum focused on grammar, literature, and rhetoric, with Latin literature gaining prominence alongside Greek. While sciences were part of the theoretical curriculum of the seven liberal arts, the practical focus remained on letters. The study of classical languages, particularly Latin, was considered a mark of an educated person for centuries, though its teaching in schools declined in the mid-20th century.234

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.