Guardians of Language: The Grammarian and Society in Late Antiquity

What did it mean to be a professional teacher in the prestigious "liberal schools"—the schools of grammar and rhetoric—in late antiquity? How can we account for the abiding prestige of these schools, which remained substantially unchanged in their methods and standing despite the political and religious changes that had taken place around them?

The grammarian was a pivotal figure in the lives of the educated upper classes of late antiquity. Introducing his students to correct language and to...