Back to School! Scribal Education in the ANE

 Remember what it was like when you were in school? Listening to the teacher, doing your exercises, eating lunch with your friends... But what was school like in the Ancient Near East? How did students learn to read, write, and assimilate information about the culture in which they lived (and its history)?

Join Dr. Josh as he paints a picture of what it was like to go to school in the early second millennium BCE. Hear about a young boy who goes to class, does his work, gets a home visit from his teacher... and is caned for all sorts of little infractions in the classroom! We will also discuss the curriculum that the scribal students were taught, from simple cuneiform sign forms to complex literary compositions.