thumb|upright=1.2|Mosaic from Pompeii depicting the Academy of Plato At the age of 14, upperclass males made their rite of passage into adulthood, and began to learn leadership roles through mentoring from a senior family member or family friend. Higher education was provided by grammatici or rhetores. The grammaticus or "grammarian" taught mainly Greek and Latin literature, with history, geography, philosophy or mathematics treated as explications of the text. With the rise of Augustus, contemporary Latin authors such as Virgil and Livy also became part of the curriculum. The rhetor was a teacher of oratory or public speaking. The art of speaking (ars dicendi) was highly prized, and eloquentia ("speaking ability, eloquence") was considered the "glue" of civilized society. Rhetoric was not so much a body of knowledge (though it required a command of the literary canon) as it was a mode of expression that distinguished those who held social power. The ancient model of rhetorical training—"restraint, coolness under pressure, modesty, and good humour"—endured into the 18th century as a Western educational ideal.
thumb|upright=12|Mosaic from Pompeii depicting the Academy of Plato At the age of 14 upperclass males made their rite of passage into adulthood and began to learn leadership roles through mentoring from a senior family member or family friend Higher education was provided by grammatici or rhetores The grammaticus or "grammarian" taught mainly Greek and Latin literature with history geography philosophy or mathematics treated as explications of the text With the rise of Augustus contemporary Latin authors such as Virgil and Livy also became part of the curriculum The rhetor was a teacher of oratory or public speaking The art of speaking (ars dicendi) was highly prized and eloquentia ("speaking ability eloquence") was considered the "glue" of civilized society Rhetoric was not so much a body of knowledge (though it required a command of the literary canon) as it was a mode of expression that distinguished those who held social power The ancient model of rhetorical training—"restraint coolness under pressure modesty and good humour"—endured into the 18th century as a Western educational ideal