I'm sure this will be interesting to someone...

I need to find out who is generally regarded as the first teacher in
history.  Socrates jumps to mind as does Confucious.  I realize that
there isn't necessarily an authoritative answer on this.  Instead what
I'm looking for is some discourse on the subject that would allow me
to draw my own conclusions.

I would consider a satisfactory answer to be a few links that address
this matter.  Please post your answer as a comment first and then I'll
let you know if it's acceptable (and then you can post it as an
answer).

And please let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks,

Jon

---

Clarification of Question by jpbischke-ga on 26 Sep 2004 12:01 PDT

Yeah, I thought this would generate a little debate... :)

To help clarify let me add that I guess when I said "teacher" I was
referring more to classroom-style teaching.  Again, I envision
Socrates here teaching his group of students.  I realize that
"teaching" has occured since the beginning of man but I'm thinking
more about the origins of the teaching that we would think of when we
think of university/high school courses today.

---

Request for Question Clarification by tutuzdad-ga on 26 Sep 2004 12:28 PDT

It would seem then that the Egyptian wiseman Hermes Trismegistos would
be your fellow. Teaching manuscripts attributed to him do exist.

ISLAMIC MEDCIAL MANUSCRIPTS
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/arabic/alchemy4.html

"What did Hermes know and teach? Among other things, he taught that
the nature of the universe is mental, and that the mind can transmute.
Who did Hermes teach? He taught a select group of people known as
Initiates. Initiates were very special people, they were the few who
were willing to put forth the great time and effort to fully and
totally live the teachings of Secret Doctrines."

THUS SPAKE ZON
http://www.neo-tech.com/zon2/

tutuzdad-ga

There is no consensus on who the first history teacher was, because
everybody knows that no-one knows.  Consider Homer, (not that Homer!)
he told those who were younger about past events (with a little
truth).
Were there not people before Homer, perhaps in different lands, who
taught their young ones their 'clans' history?  History (as we can
concieve it) started right after speech started.  That is, as soon as
some oaf was able to communicate something about the past.  This
teacher probably didn't even have a name yet, but was distinguished
because he was smelly.  His first student named 'Ook' just might have
been an authority on the subject, but unfortunately she's unpublished
and dead.  What you actually need answered (as thought by me) is the
question...What and who have been in the invloved growing developments
of early historical methodology/theory?

You might want to throw a 'how' and a 'when' into the question as well.

P.S. The answers will most likly be some certain Roman slaves.

good luck!
Sincerely, THE HISTORMINATOR

I meant 'the growing developments in the history of the history of
history's history of it own bloody methodology and philosophy and what
not?!'

  sorry for your inconvenience.

In the Bible, Adam taught Cain and Able his history that he and Eve
had been banished from the Garden of Eden because they had disobeyed
God`s command not to eat of the Tree in the middle of the garden. This
fulfils the "teacher" and "history" components of the question. And
probably about the job of naming the animals [Genesis 2;19]. Prior to
this, the first man had no history and certainly predates the Greek
philosophers. Q.E.D.

I may be wrong here but I think the customer is not asking who the
first "history teacher" is but rather the first teacher, period.

In terms of being "known" as "a teacher", HERMES MERCURIUS
TRISMEGISTOS, who is believed to have lived between 2000 and 1400 BC
would probably be your best bet.

"De Medici and others believed the texts to be written by the most
ancient teacher of mankind, the Egyptian wiseman Hermes Trismegistos.
In the times of De Medici they were not completely sure when Hermes
would have lived, either in times a long, long time ago, around the
time of Moses or a few generations after Moses."

SEEKERS DEPT. - HERTETISM
http://www.monas.nl/think/sdhermetic.htm

'Some Interesting Facts Concerning Hermes Trismegistus'
http://www.hexagongirl.com/y/16-Hermes.html


This would significantly predate any of the conventional teachers
mentioned. Let me know if this works for you as an answer.

Regards;
tutuzdad-ga

If an author can double as a teacher, as in teaching through his/her
writings, then we can go back to the beginning, to the the earliest
"known" author in human history - En-hedu-Ana

She was the daughter of Sargon the Great, who was the first king to
rule an empire joining Sumer and Akkad.
http://www.angelfire.com/mi/enheduanna/ - several other links lead from here.

Cheers
Digs

Mothers have been teaching their young for millions of years . . .