As Athens grew in influence, it attracted more and more people from other city-states and countries. Opportunities for a growing number of Athenians to speak before the Assembly created a demand for specialized education in subjects such as letters, rhetoric, science, statesmanship, and philosophy. Those who considered themselves as original, true Athenians became increasingly ethnocentric. The sophists were the first true professional educators, a group of wandering teachers who charged a fee to teach anyone who wished to study with them. They taught that truth is relative and that kn…
