A pedagogue in ancient Rome was typically a slave or freedman responsible for the education and supervision of a family’s children. The role of the pedagogue included teaching reading, writing, and arithmetic, as well as instilling moral and social values.
Pedagogues were often educated Greeks, reflecting the Roman admiration for Greek culture and scholarship.
Many Roman elites employed Greek slaves as pedagogues to educate their sons in language, literature, and philosophy. Marcus Aurelius, the Roman Emperor and Stoic philosopher, credited his early education to his Greek pedagogue.