In the ancient Greece, a paidagogos παιδαγωγός (Ancient greek) was a slave entrusted with supervising boys from the age of seven and in Roman Republic, the paedagogus, plural paedagogi or paedagogiani,[1] was a slave or a freedman who taught the sons of Roman citizens[2] the Greek language.[3] In the period of the Roman Empire, the paedagogus became the director of the paedagogium.[3]
There were no public schools in the early Roman Republic so boys were taught to read and write by their parents or by educated paedagogi, usually of Greek origin.[4][5][6]
A representation of a paedagogus was painted as a graffito on the walls of the paedagogium of the Palatine, and it represents his social and cultural formation, which is identified such a slave.[1]
An inscription of the second century dedicated to the Roman emperor Caracalla lists twenty-four paedagogi.[2] In some cases, the title of paedagogus is connected with private elite families.[7][8][9][10]
Being a paedagogus meant obeying conduct and duty laws.[2]
In the imperial institution, the title of paedagogus refers to the duty of child-attendant or tutor rather than a teacher.[11] The other title of paedagogus refers to a variety of interrelated capacities related to the offspring of the imperial family and aristocracy: disciplina (academic and moral instruction), custodia (companion and protector) and decorum (directives of precepts for public behaviour).[12] There is a third title which appears in three inscriptions and means the director of the paedagogium (praeceptor).[13]