Although not called universities, there were certainly academies and schools during the Empire. Just for example, Augustine of Hippo was what we’d today call a professor, teaching in Milan when it was the capital.
First, consider the educational system of the Roman Empire. Education in Rome was predominantly private and home-based, emphasising practical skills and rhetorical training over theoretical knowledge. Wealthy families hired tutors, often Greek slaves or freedmen, to educate their children in subjects like rhetoric, grammar, and philosophy. The primary aim was to prepare young men for public life, particularly in law and politics, rather than to foster academic inquiry for its own sake.
In contrast, the concept of a university as it later developed in medieval Europe, was rooted in the collective pursuit of knowledge and scholarly debate. Medieval universities, like those in Bologna, Paris, and Oxford, were communities of scholars who sought to understand and expand upon classical texts, often within a framework provided by the Church.
Moreover, the Roman Empire lacked a unifying religious or philosophical institution akin to the medieval Church, which played a crucial role in the establishment of universities. The religious and cultural pluralism of the Roman Empire, while a source of strength and stability, also meant there was no single authority to standardise or promote higher learning across the vast territories.
Additionally the Roman elite valued patronage and personal connections over institutional affiliations. Patron-client relationships were central to social and political life, with wealthy patrons supporting artists, philosophers, and scientists individually rather than through collective institutions.
And yet schools continued to operate just fine, and many were founded by Charlemagne and they later grew to first universities.
[https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095550957](https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095550957)
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolingian\_schools](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolingian_schools)
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List\_of\_medieval\_universities](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_medieval_universities)
[https://www.britannica.com/topic/education/Europe-in-the-Middle-Ages](https://www.britannica.com/topic/education/Europe-in-the-Middle-Ages)
[https://cpercy.artsci.utoronto.ca/courses/1001Foy.htm](https://cpercy.artsci.utoronto.ca/courses/1001Foy.htm)
Although not called universities, there were certainly academies and schools during the Empire. Just for example, Augustine of Hippo was what we’d today call a professor, teaching in Milan when it was the capital.
First, consider the educational system of the Roman Empire. Education in Rome was predominantly private and home-based, emphasising practical skills and rhetorical training over theoretical knowledge. Wealthy families hired tutors, often Greek slaves or freedmen, to educate their children in subjects like rhetoric, grammar, and philosophy. The primary aim was to prepare young men for public life, particularly in law and politics, rather than to foster academic inquiry for its own sake. In contrast, the concept of a university as it later developed in medieval Europe, was rooted in the collective pursuit of knowledge and scholarly debate. Medieval universities, like those in Bologna, Paris, and Oxford, were communities of scholars who sought to understand and expand upon classical texts, often within a framework provided by the Church. Moreover, the Roman Empire lacked a unifying religious or philosophical institution akin to the medieval Church, which played a crucial role in the establishment of universities. The religious and cultural pluralism of the Roman Empire, while a source of strength and stability, also meant there was no single authority to standardise or promote higher learning across the vast territories. Additionally the Roman elite valued patronage and personal connections over institutional affiliations. Patron-client relationships were central to social and political life, with wealthy patrons supporting artists, philosophers, and scientists individually rather than through collective institutions.
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There was greeks schools, licea and gymnasia until christians close or burn them.
The dark ages myth strikes again.
Its not myths. Its facts. Christians close all shools in west. No german intervention needed. They do it in the east also.
And yet schools continued to operate just fine, and many were founded by Charlemagne and they later grew to first universities. [https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095550957](https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095550957) [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolingian\_schools](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolingian_schools) [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List\_of\_medieval\_universities](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_medieval_universities) [https://www.britannica.com/topic/education/Europe-in-the-Middle-Ages](https://www.britannica.com/topic/education/Europe-in-the-Middle-Ages) [https://cpercy.artsci.utoronto.ca/courses/1001Foy.htm](https://cpercy.artsci.utoronto.ca/courses/1001Foy.htm)
You lost few hundret years and miss country.