PAEDO´NOMUS
PAEDO´NOMUS (
παιδονόμος) was a magistrate at Sparta (and in some other Doric
states) who had the general superintendence of the education of boys, which
in Doric states was concerned with little else besides bodily training [
LUDUS LITTERARIUS p.
94]. His office was honourable; the appointment by election. He had control
over the discipline and moral conduct of the boys, at Sparta after the age
of 7; he inspected them and punished those who were negligent or
disobedient. For this purpose
μαστιγοφόροι
were assigned to him by Lycurgus. The more immediate inspection of the
gymnastic exercises belonged to magistrates called
βιδιαῖοι or
βιδέοι [
BIDIAEI]. In Crete also we find
παιδονόμοι (
Strabo x. p.483; Schömann,
Antiq. p.
303), but boys there did not come completely under their control till the
age of 17. At Teos (see inscriptions in Gilbert,
Staatsalterth. 2.338), the
παιδονόμος shared with the
γυμνασίαρχος the charge of education. (
Xen. Rep. Lac. 2.2, 3.10,
4.6;
Plut. Lyc. 17; Krause,
Gymnastik
u. Agon. pp. 254, 677; Gilbert,
op. cit.
1.67.)
[W.S] [G.E.M]
