The Greek city-states, of which Athens was the greatest, are the starting point of Western Civilization. All people alive in the Western world today owe many of their ideas and attitudes to the ancient Greeks.
The Chinese, the Hindus and the Hebrews all saw education as a means of preserving their traditional ways of life with as little change as possible The people of Athens were much more darling. They did not believe that the whole truth about everything had been handed down from the past. They believed that it was necessary to ask questions and look after new knowledge.
Athens had the first democratic government. It was not what would be called a democratic government today. There were more slaves, who had no vote, than there were free citizens. And among the free citizens only, the men had the voice in the government. But the male citizens of the Athens were the first people to have self-government and freedom of thought and conscience, much as we know them today.
Ideals of A Student
The ideal of education in early Athens was to prepare a boy for this freedom. The Greeks did not want a youth to be one-sided, interested only in religion or in his profession. They believed everyone should be well-rounded. Their ideal was excellence in all things. The educated Athenian was supposed to be good at games and sports. He was supposed to know about the Great Greek heroes and the Greek gods. He was supposed to know music, poetry and art. Most important, he was supposed to be able to think for himself and to care about right and wrong. He was supposed to feel that the welfare of Athens-its people, its government, and its culture-were his personal responsibility.
Here are more facts about the Ancient Greece
Interesting Facts for Kids 