ABSTRACT
The Romans were not great cultural innovators, hence the frequency of the term 'Graeco-Roman' to describe their cultural artefacts and ideas. The qualities that Romans admired most were gravitas and pietas, both closely connected with respect for family. Gravitas means possessing qualities of seriousness, earnestness, responsibility and probably a certain rigidity and distrust of innovation. The most famous teacher and educational theorist of Roman times was Marcus Fabius Quintilianus. Rome must take some of the credit - or the blame - for the spreading of the notion of the school. The Roman 'grammar' schools did not survive the Barbarian invasions but the model was remembered and revived in the eighth and ninth centuries AD, particularly at the time when Charlemaigne wanted to revive learning and improve the quality of the clergy.
