History · 14 · Hoshayahu
Ancient schools were miserable
In Babylonia and Egypt, scribal students copied endless signs, memorized texts, and were caned for sloppy work. One story tells of a failing boy whose rich father won him a passing grade with gifts.
Education was for the few, and it hurt.
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Teachers were likened to creator gods shaping students like clay. Babylonian scribes had to master Sumerian, a dead language. A proverb asked: 'A scribe who doesn't know Sumerian, what kind of scribe is he?' Their motto might have been 'think ancient.'
Source: Why the Bible Began, pp. 223–225
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