The Romans in the Nahe Valley and the Hunsrück

Although the Celts of the Latène age knew the Greek alphabet, it was the Romans who put writing to real use (Latin alphabet) making it a part of everyday life. As a result, it was not only the upper class that could read and write, but a majority of business people, craftsmen, soldiers, landowners and even slaves. This was the only way that the daily business with local and state institutions could be managed efficiently.

Regular school attendance was part of daily life for children although private schooling was a privilege only for the upper classes. Citizens of any wealth at all would probably have had a small private library of the "classics" of that time. Archaeological finds have confirmed this. Moreover, in the larger towns such as Trier, there were public libraries. From this we can assume that widespread standardized education was important to the unity of the Roman empire.

Photo: Detail of the 58 sqm, completely preserved mosaic floor of a Roman luxury villa from the middle of the 2nd century AD in Bad Kreuznach ("gladiator mosaic").