(Part 1/2) Good question!

I would not go so far as to say that Greek and Roman education was based around Homeric works, but they were omnipresent. I think it would even be fair to say that any Greek or Roman literary education could be expected to begin with poets like Homer and Hesiod. I am focusing on the Hellenistic period (Greek speakers from the 3rd Century BCE onwards) and Romans, although there is considerable overlap between Hellenistic and Classical education.

There are many different facets to your question, but I am only going to address two. The first is the overall significance of Homer to Hellenistic and Roman scholarship. The second is the common goals of education in the ancient world, and how studying Homer fit into them. #Reception of Homer Your question is as much about the reception of Homer by later Greek and Roman commentators as it is about education. Understanding this, we can recognize a number of lessons which Homeric poetry was used to impart, some grammatical and some moral.

No other works attained the prestige and exaltation of the Iliad and the Odyssey. Combined, they formed a common mythos for the different peoples and places of ancient Greece. Many Roman and Hellenistic authors considered Homer to be the father of epic poetry, or even the father of knowledge in general. Metaphorically, Homer was compared to an Ocean, from which all rivers and lakes of creativity and knowledge flowed. (As many ancient allegories, it's geographically dicey)

Due to his role as the poet par excellence, Homer came to be considered (at least partly) divine. Poets often invoked him as a muse, and shrines to his worship could be found throughout the Greek world. This is without even mentioning the influence that Homeric tradition had on the worship of cult heroes such as Achilles. Homeric phrases were imitated by subsequent epic poets, but they were also used in elegiac contexts such as funerary inscriptions or commemorative works.

Hardly any epic literature was produced during this period that did not deliberately call back to Homer through characters, places and phrasing. More important than Homeric imitations, is the wide array of supplementary texts which were created in the Hellenistic and Roman periods. These works explored the settings and characters of the Iliad and Odyssey through reimagined scenes, and added episodes which filled in the gaps of Homer's extant works. Fictional meetings with Homer himself also appeared in the works by authors like Lucian. As Greeks spread out throughout the ancient world in the wake of Alexander's conquests, poets began connecting these places to Homeric epic narratives by adding new stories of their own.

Homer's Greece may not map to any actual historical period, but Hellenistic and Roman authors believed it did. In their minds it was a saga that reflected lifestyle in an earlier, more primeval time. In many ways, they viewed this mythological past as an idyllic era, when people were greater than they are now. This was complicated by the fact that the Iliad was about half a millennia old by this time, and contemporary Greeks were divorced from the cultural context in which it was made.

Alternate accounts of the Trojan War and associated events were recounted by historians all the way up through the Hellenistic period. Even the Iliad itself was not consistent yet. The earliest surviving manuscripts of the Iliad and Odyssey are 3rd Century BCE papyri from Ptolemaic Egypt. These early written versions vary wildly in their content, indicating that even at this late date, a standard version of these epics had not yet crystallized. It is only centuries later that they become more uniform. Aristarchus of Samothrace, who headed the Library of Alexandria, is credited with editing the version of the Iliad which became standard after c. 150 BCE.

Indeed, the Library of Alexandria was renowned more for its literary analysis than for any original works produced there. This may come as a surprise since common myths claim that its destruction somehow "set back" science. In reality, the majority of the scholars there were busy copying, annotating and producing critical commentaries on great literary works. Chief among these was of course Homer. A large portion of the scholars attached to the Library and Museion of Alexandria were involved in similar studies, which also reflected the importance of Homer at lower levels of study.

Classical evidence also implies that many respected teachers annotated Homeric poetry. Of course, the majority of teachers merely taught Homer, without making any additions to the interpretation of its canon.

#Teaching Literacy & Rhetoric

There were varying levels of education in the ancient world. Many people only ever attained a rudimentary level of literacy, and therefore would not have actively studied literature. Those who were given a more thorough education would expect to study poetry and literature in depth, especially in comparison to other subjects like science and maths which were (in comparison to modern educational standards) neglected.

The three broad spheres of knowledge that underpinned Hellenistic (and to a great extent Roman) education; were athletic, artistic and literary. An athletic education was gymnastic in nature, this included dancing, exercise and possibly more martial training for men who were in the military. That overlapped with an artistic education, which tended to focus on music and poetry rather than visual arts. This in turn overlapped with a literary education which taught poetry, philosophy, rhetoric and writing.

For some people who became professional poets or scholars, education was preparation for their eventual profession. But the main appeal of education was to participate in the dominant culture and society. It therefore did not have to be overly technical. The knowledge of Greek, and later Latin, legendary traditions was a major part of how the Greek, and later Roman, peoples formed their identity. Education separated those of means from those of lower standing, it was expected of the aristocracy and was required for anyone who sought to improve their social standing. The value of understanding poetry was tied into the value of literacy and cultural refinement.

To imply that a literary education was purely, or even mostly, based on reading and writing would be incorrect. Poetry was originally passed down orally, and this was the medium through which many Archaic works reached the Classical period. This is useful to keep in mind when thinking about poetry, which was originally meant to be recited, memorized, possibly sung. Because of this, literacy was not required in order to be familiar with Homer, nor would the two necessarily go hand in hand.

Many illiterate people would have been familiar with Homer, and yet it is also true that many who learned letters would never dive into the specialized analysis of poetry. The teaching of literacy gradually gains importance in general education as we approach the Hellenistic period. However, the ability to recite well remained important.

A good deal of what we know about ancient education comes from surviving educational materials. Papyri, wood tablets and potsherds used to practice writing have been found throughout the Hellenistic and Roman world. Egypt has, again, by far the most and best preserved examples. Some of these were used by students and teachers, and from them we can learn a lot about the types of lessons and exercises taught. There is a surprising amount of consistency in the types of educational material found which implies that it did not change as much as might be expected over the centuries.

Students copied passages from poetry in their workbooks as work exercises. This probably served multiple functions, it helped students to practice reading and writing, to learn proper grammar, and to analyze poetry. Many workbooks have scribbling and notes in the margins, which included everything from sketches and juvenile humour, to quotes from literature. The Iliad greatly overshadowed the Odyssey in popularity, and is more regularly attested to as a subject of study.

Rhetorical exercises based on proving or disproving the existence of events described by Homer and other poets were also used. The point here was to practice rhetorical and persuasive skills. It is a bit analogous to what students might learn while participating in a mock trial or debate club.

At more advanced levels of study, students might try their hand at rewriting Homer. Students who were practicing oratory skills also composed speeches and scenes from the point of view of Homeric characters. These exercises allowed students to flex their rhetorical skills and examine the psychology of the characters. Sometimes these reimagined speeches present in the Iliad and Odyssey, while others were more creative. This last exercise seems to have been for more advanced students. Not all of these imaginary pseudo-Homeric works were mere schoolroom exercises, some were well developed literature in their own right.