Social Status of a Teacher in Ancient Rome

Abstract

The source base of the study consists of literary works of fiction and publicistic genre, letters of the Republic citizens and subjects of ancient Roman emperors, who bear witness of the attitude of contemporaries to the profession of a teacher, determine its prestige and social significance. This preconditioned the aim of the study to determine the social status of a Roman teacher. The authors claim that the latter depended on both formal and informal factors. However, personal level of professional achievements, attractive individual traits, morality, support from influential people were more important than belonging to a particular class of mentors or state regulation of education. The teacher’s authority regulated his right to corporal punishment of students and influenced the amount of remuneration. The researchers believe, that a certain criterion to determine the prestige of the profession is the quantitative indicator of payment, as well as the regularity of its implementation. The teacher’s wealth increased his place in the system of social relations and, conversely, was a consequence of patronage by the authorities. However, the incomes of most teachers remained low, which, in combination with other criteria of prestige of the job, allows to conditionally establish the status of a teacher at a level “below average”.