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]