<P> For most of Greek history, education was private, except in Sparta . During the Hellenistic period, some city - states established public schools . Only wealthy families could afford a teacher . Boys learned how to read, write and quote literature . They also learned to sing and play one musical instrument and were trained as athletes for military service . They studied not for a job but to become an effective citizen . Girls also learned to read, write and do simple arithmetic so they could manage the household . They almost never received education after childhood . </P> <P> Boys went to school at the age of seven, or went to the barracks, if they lived in Sparta . The three types of teachings were: grammatistes for arithmetic, kitharistes for music and dancing, and Paedotribae for sports . </P> <P> Boys from wealthy families attending the private school lessons were taken care of by a paidagogos, a household slave selected for this task who accompanied the boy during the day . Classes were held in teachers' private houses and included reading, writing, mathematics, singing, and playing the lyre and flute . When the boy became 12 years old the schooling started to include sports such as wrestling, running, and throwing discus and javelin . In Athens some older youths attended academy for the finer disciplines such as culture, sciences, music, and the arts . The schooling ended at age 18, followed by military training in the army usually for one or two years . </P> <P> A small number of boys continued their education after childhood, as in the Spartan agoge . A crucial part of a wealthy teenager's education was a mentorship with an elder, which in a few places and times may have included pederastic love . The teenager learned by watching his mentor talking about politics in the agora, helping him perform his public duties, exercising with him in the gymnasium and attending symposia with him . The richest students continued their education by studying with famous teachers . Some of Athens' greatest such schools included the Lyceum (the so - called Peripatetic school founded by Aristotle of Stageira) and the Platonic Academy (founded by Plato of Athens). The education system of the wealthy ancient Greeks is also called Paideia . </P>

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