Schools to teach writing began about 2500 BCE. Some were private, while some were connected to a temple. The main purpose was to develop a skill or a vocation.
The pupils started their learning to read by learning signs for syllables, then to write words using these syllables; then to create common phrases, sentences, and short compositions.
All writing was done on clay tablets. These tablets contained only the names of things in the world around them. There was no science or history.
Discipline at school was harsh. It appears that few young people attended schools, but many others may have been able to learn.
(This page was updated in December 2012.)
