Throughout the Roman Empire Cities held public speeches and lectures,
had libraries, and teachers and professors in the sciences and the
humanities, some subsidized by the state. There even existed something
equivalent to universities, and medical and engineering schools. What
were they like? What did they teach? Who got to attend them? In the
first treatment of this subject ever published, Dr. Richard Carrier
answers all these questions and more, describing the entire education
system of the early Roman Empire, with a unique emphasis on the quality
and quantity of its science content. He also compares pagan attitudes
toward the Roman system of education with the very different attitudes
of ancient Jews and Christians, finding stark contrasts that would set
the stage for the coming Dark Ages.