Seven Liberal Arts

the subjects taught in the medieval secondary school and in the arts faculties of universities.

The seven liberal arts were composed of two groups: the trivium, or lower studies—grammar, rhetoric, and dialectic —and the quadrivium, or higher studies—arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music. These groups were vestiges of the system of knowledge that had developed during the classical period. During the Middle Ages the content of the classical system, diverse and rich for its own time, gradually gave way to a limited number of elementary subjects, which were utilized for religious purposes. Grammar was treated as a subject necessary for an understanding of ecclesiastical books, and rhetoric as an aid for composing church sermons. Astronomy was utilized to determine the dates of the Easter holidays, and dialectic for disputes with heretics. To a great degree, arithmetic was used as an aid for the mystical interpretation of numbers.

In the late Middle Ages and especially during the Renaissance, the seven liberal arts in secondary schools and in the arts faculties of universities began acquiring a secular character. The system of the seven liberal arts was replaced by that of the classical Gymnasiums.