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No homework, no set times for attendance and a slave to snitch on children who skip class - all features of life in an ancient Roman classroom.

Schoolchildren and families in Reading can find out first-hand what these ancient schools were like at a unique free event at the University of Reading on Wednesday.

Organised by the university's Department of Classics, the Experiencing Ancient Education event will see pupils undertake a series of Roman school exercises, including reading poetry written without word division or punctuation and doing multiplication with Roman numerals.

Students, complete with Roman costume, will learn to write with a stylus on a wax tablet and as well as reading from papyrus scrolls.

The event will highlight the differences in the way classrooms were compared to today.

In ancient schools there were no raised hands and the teacher never spoke to the class as a whole, only to individuals.

Lecturers and students from the Department of Classics are currently swatting up on ancient teaching methods, particularly Professor Eleanor Dickey from the Department of Classics who has organised the event.

Professor Dickey said: "Our participants will experience an event which we believe is unique in modern times.

"The changes in the way children are taught now are massive, even going back 10 years. Well we are going back 2,000 years!

"There was no set curriculum - parents paid for what they wanted their child to learn - no set classes, year groups or times for attendance.

"But children wouldn't get away with skipping lessons. The majority of parents sent their children to school with a slave who not only kept them safe on the way there but also reported back any errant behaviour."

Schoolchildren and visitors can also sample some authentic Roman food in the Classics Kitchen. The University of Reading's Ure Museum of Greek Archaeology, home to nearly 2,000 fascinating Greek and Greco-Roman objects, will be offering a special look at its collections and the opportunity to handle certain objects.

Professor Dickey continued: "No obelisk has been left unturned to create an authentic atmosphere, from Roman costumes to windows looking out on the River Nile.

"They'll be no need for pupils to pack their papyrus as we'll be providing all the equipment including tablets, the Ancient World kind, and reed pens.

"The Roman Empire is one of the most important periods in our history. The day promises to be fun and educational, for pupils and students alike."

Experiencing Ancient Education: Reading Ancient Schoolroom runs from 10am to 5pm on Wednesday, November 19.

It forms part of the Being Human Festival of the Humanities, a new initiative aiming to bring cutting-edge humanities research to the general public in novel and interesting ways.

Tickets are free and still available but need to be reserved at http://beinghumanfestival.org/event/experiencing-ancient-education/

The inspiration for this event arose from Professor Dickey's work on The Colloquia of the Hermeneumata Pseudodositheana, Europe's most ancient children's book.