Grammaticus gravis, furiosus et parasitus – comic image of a teacher in ancient literature
Grammaticus gravis, furiosus et parasitus – comic image of a teacher in ancient literature

Summary/Abstract: Manum ferulae subducere – this phrase means “to study”, but literally it means ”to hold out the hand for the cane”. Stanley F. Bonner writes: “Throughout antiquity, from the time of Socrates to that of St Augustine and beyond, across the whole Mediterranean world, from Egypt to Bordeaux and from Carthage to Antioch, corporal punishment was a constant feature of school life”. The authors of ancient times often alluded to this motif which is much older than the Greek or Roman civilization. It can be seen in the poem of the Young Babylonian apprentices entitled Schooldays 38-41 preserved on an approximately 4000 year old clay tablet.

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