Posted on 05/31/2004 6:32:29 AM PDT by Grzegorz 246
CAIRO, May 26 - Polish archaeologists have unearthed 13 lecture halls believed to be the first traces ever found of ancient Egypt's University of Alexandria, the head of the project said Wednesday.
"This is the oldest university ever found in the world," said Grzegorz Majderek, head of the Polish mission.
The lecture halls, with a capacity of 5,000 students, were part of the fifth-century university, which functioned until the seventh century, according to a statement from Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities.
"This is the first material evidence of the existence of academic life in Alexandria," Mr. Majderek said. Knowledge of earlier intellectual pursuits there came through historical and literary documents.
Ancient Alexandria was home to a library, which was founded about 295 B.C. and burned to the ground in the fourth century. Ruins were never found. The auditoriums were found near the portico of the Roman Theater in the eastern part of the city. All the lecture halls are of identical dimensions. Each contains rows of stepped benches in a semicircle and an elevated seat apparently for the lecturer, the antiquities council said.
I thought you might be interested in this.
yes, indeed.
First the pyramids, then the library and university at Alexandria. Egyptians were rather clever before they got the moslem disease.
I find it interesting that the system of education by lecture has survived this far into the modern world. For most of human history books have been expensive and hard to obtain; but that's no longer so. Adhering to the lecture system, where the student is obliged to attend classes that may or may not be available when he needs them seems, to my mind, to be an outmoded and wasteful way of doing things.
GGG Ping!..
I think the library and university were Greek institutions, only nominally "Egyptian" because of their location.
Aw, that's a Copt-out ;-)
Quite so but the fact remains that ANY society infected by the islamofascists sinks into darkness and does nothing of note again. Much like Canada, oh that was just mean... sorry eh?
Egyptians were rather clever before they got the moslem disease....
This slur indicates a complete lack of historical perspective.
The Alexandrian educational complex although in Egypt, was Greek. The next educational leap actually came out of the Islamic conquest.
Your own Western thought sprang from Arab scholorship discovered during the Crusades.
Educators (which includes parents) have a number of tools at their disposal, including lectures, book-reading, apprentiseships, and so on. Just because something is old doesn't necesarily mean it's become irrelevant.
There are many schools that currently have been trying alternative approaches to education, and failing. It really depends on the student's learning style, the material being covered, the developmental age of the student, the environment, and so on....
I'm thinking more on the lines of adult education, i.e., beyond secondary school. The problems you've mentioned are generally associated with bad self-discipline and poor reading skills.
I'm not sure you are right, my American History prof was a real treat to listen to. He made old George and the rest come to life and brought them into the 20 century.
I sure would have hated to miss his lectures.
mark
Source?
The great scholarship of the Mohammedans was almost all due to Christians, Jews and converts. The caliphs and sultans took Christians and Jews and a few Zoroastrians to be their advisers and viziers. Most, not all, were converted to Islam or feigned conversion. Some of these stars were children of the original converts. The scholarship consisted mostly of translation into Arabic of the Greek texts from Alexandria and Antioch and Edessa, etc. that preserved much before the Islamic destruction of originals.
Thanks. GGG Ping.
Two things that might make it useful:
I think humans have a tendency to be lazy. Lecture helps focus one's mind for a period of time on the subject. As a student, without the lectures, I might not have self-educated as efficiently.
"Iron sharpens Iron". It is helpful to pose questions to a lecturer and have him or her answer. Then others in the class can also question each other. It is good for the mind to be challenged and apply one's mind in the cause of defending arugments.
I like Dorothy Sayers' essay on "Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning". She talks about the importance of not learning merely "subjects" but that learning is about the ability to take any subject and be able to argue persuasively and to express oneself in language.
Will Durant..... Our Oriental Heritage Volume 1 of 11
The life of Greece Vol II
Thanks. I'll check it out.
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