Abstract
Readings in Greek paideia continued into the Christian period, in languages other than Latin and Greek. A whole network of Syriac schools is attested in the Roman Empire, as well as in the Sassanid Empire in the regions of northern and southern Mesopotamia. These were institutions of various Churches (the Imperial Roman Church, the Church of Persia and then the Miaphysite or Syriac-Orthodox Church).
The importance of knowledge and teaching in Syriac Christianity can be seen in the conceptualization of a theological and symbolic history of the succession of schools and teachers since Paradise.
In the absence of archaeological evidence, numerous texts have been preserved, including histories of the schools, their foundations, operations and teachers.
Their organization and curriculum show continuity with the Greek world, as well as differences linked to the use of Syriac and changing political, social and religious circumstances. These schools are attested right up to the Islamic period, and have played a major role in the transmission and continuity of knowledge since Antiquity.
