Fascinating to think of the level of intelligence of so many in Ancient Rome and before. I got in a discussion with this guy in Los Altos Ca a few years ago. He is an avowed atheist and has great disdain for Christians. Anyway, I stated that people living 2000 years ago were just as intelligent as those today. He scoffed at the notion. They actually were just as intelligent but lacked printing presses necessary to make education universal or to pass on accumulated knowledge.
Easy to learn to read & write, easy to mass produce.
I 100% agree. I was watching “The Truth Project” and remember one of the statements about a law professor. He made his students read the Federalist Papers. They would complain it was hard to read. The professor told them, you’re right, it was only written so the average farmer could understand it...
The New England Primer had some amazing things to teach 1st graders.