The Academy (), variously known as Plato's Academy, or the Platonic Academy, was founded in
Athens
Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...
by
Plato
Plato ( ; Greek language, Greek: , ; born BC, died 348/347 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher of the Classical Greece, Classical period who is considered a foundational thinker in Western philosophy and an innovator of the writte ...
''
circa
Circa is a Latin word meaning "around, approximately". Circa or CIRCA may also refer to:
* CIRCA (art platform), in London
* Circa (band), a progressive rock supergroup
* Circa (company), an American skateboard footwear company
* Circa (contempora ...
'' 387 BC. The academy is regarded as the first institution of higher education in the west, where subjects as diverse as
biology
Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, History of life, origin, evolution, and ...
,
geography
Geography (from Ancient Greek ; combining 'Earth' and 'write', literally 'Earth writing') is the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. Geography is an all-encompassing discipline that seeks an understanding o ...
,
astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest includ ...
,
mathematics
Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...
,
history
History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...
, and many more were taught and investigated.
Aristotle
Aristotle (; 384–322 BC) was an Ancient Greek philosophy, Ancient Greek philosopher and polymath. His writings cover a broad range of subjects spanning the natural sciences, philosophy, linguistics, economics, politics, psychology, a ...
studied there for twenty years (367–347 BC) before founding his own school, the
Lyceum
The lyceum is a category of educational institution defined within the education system of many countries, mainly in Europe. The definition varies among countries; usually it is a type of secondary school. Basic science and some introduction to ...
. The Academy persisted throughout the
Hellenistic period
In classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Greek history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the death of Cleopatra VII in 30 BC, which was followed by the ascendancy of the R ...
as a
skeptical school, until coming to an end after the death of
Philo of Larissa
Philo of Larissa ( ''Philon ho Larissaios''; 159/8–84/3 BC) was a Greek philosophy, Greek philosopher. It is very probable that his actual name was Philio - with a second iota. He was a pupil of Clitomachus (philosopher), Clitomachus, whom he s ...
in 83 BC. The Platonic Academy was destroyed by the Roman dictator
Sulla
Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix (, ; 138–78 BC), commonly known as Sulla, was a Roman people, Roman general and statesman of the late Roman Republic. A great commander and ruthless politician, Sulla used violence to advance his career and his co ...
in 86 BC.
A neo-Platonic academy was later established in Athens that sought to continue the tradition of Plato's Academy. This academy was shut down by
Justinian
Justinian I (, ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was Roman emperor from 527 to 565.
His reign was marked by the ambitious but only partly realized ''renovatio imperii'', or "restoration of the Empire". This ambition was ...
in 529 AD, when some of the scholars fled to
Harran
Harran is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Şanlıurfa Province, Turkey. Its area is 904 km2, and its population is 96,072 (2022). It is approximately southeast of Urfa and from the Syrian border crossing at Akçakale.
...
, where the study of classical texts continued. In 1462
Cosimo de' Medici established the
Platonic Academy of Florence, which helped initiate the
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
. In 1926 the
Academy of Athens was founded again but this time with the founding principle of tracing back the historical Academy of Plato.
History
The ''Akademia'' was a school outside the city walls of ancient
Athens
Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...
. It was located in or beside a
grove of olive trees dedicated to the goddess
Athena
Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretism, syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarde ...
, which was on the site even before
Cimon
Cimon or Kimon (; – 450BC) was an Athenian '' strategos'' (general and admiral) and politician.
He was the son of Miltiades, also an Athenian ''strategos''. Cimon rose to prominence for his bravery fighting in the naval Battle of Salamis ...
enclosed the precincts with a wall, and was called Academia after its original owner,
Academus, an
Attic
An attic (sometimes referred to as a '' loft'') is a space found directly below the pitched roof of a house or other building. It is also known as a ''sky parlor'' or a garret. Because they fill the space between the ceiling of a building's t ...
hero in
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...
. Academus was said to have saved Athens from attack by Sparta, revealing where
Helen of Troy
Helen (), also known as Helen of Troy, or Helen of Sparta, and in Latin as Helena, was a figure in Greek mythology said to have been the most beautiful woman in the world. She was believed to have been the daughter of Zeus and Leda (mythology), ...
was hidden, when she had been kidnapped by King
Theseus
Theseus (, ; ) was a divine hero in Greek mythology, famous for slaying the Minotaur. The myths surrounding Theseus, his journeys, exploits, and friends, have provided material for storytelling throughout the ages.
Theseus is sometimes desc ...
years before the incidents of the later
Trojan War
The Trojan War was a legendary conflict in Greek mythology that took place around the twelfth or thirteenth century BC. The war was waged by the Achaeans (Homer), Achaeans (Ancient Greece, Greeks) against the city of Troy after Paris (mytho ...
. Having thus spared Athens a war (or at least delayed it), Academus was seen as a savior of Athens. His land, six
stadia (a total of about one kilometre, or a half mile; the exact length of a stadion varied) north of Athens, became revered even by neighboring city-states, escaping destruction during the many local wars.
The site of the Academy was sacred to
Athena
Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretism, syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarde ...
; it had sheltered her
religious cult since the
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...
. The site was perhaps also associated with the
twin hero-gods Castor and
Polydeuces (the ''
Dioscuri
Castor and Pollux (or Polydeuces) are twin half-brothers in Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology, known together as the Dioscuri or Dioskouroi.
Their mother was Leda (mythology), Leda, but they had different fathers; Castor was the mortal ...
''), since the hero Akademos associated with the site was credited with revealing to the brothers where the
abductor Theseus
Theseus (, ; ) was a divine hero in Greek mythology, famous for slaying the Minotaur. The myths surrounding Theseus, his journeys, exploits, and friends, have provided material for storytelling throughout the ages.
Theseus is sometimes desc ...
had hidden their sister
Helen. Out of respect for its long tradition and its association with the Dioscuri – who were
patron gods of
Sparta
Sparta was a prominent city-state in Laconia in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (), while the name Sparta referred to its main settlement in the Evrotas Valley, valley of Evrotas (river), Evrotas rive ...
– the Spartan army would not ravage these original "groves of Academe" when they invaded
Attica
Attica (, ''Attikḗ'' (Ancient Greek) or , or ), or the Attic Peninsula, is a historical region that encompasses the entire Athens metropolitan area, which consists of the city of Athens, the capital city, capital of Greece and the core cit ...
. Their piety was not shared by the Roman
Sulla
Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix (, ; 138–78 BC), commonly known as Sulla, was a Roman people, Roman general and statesman of the late Roman Republic. A great commander and ruthless politician, Sulla used violence to advance his career and his co ...
, who had the sacred olive trees of Athena cut down in 86 BC to build
siege engines.
Among the religious observances that took place at the Akademeia was a torchlit night race from altars within the city to Prometheus' altar in the Akademeia. The road to Akademeia was lined with the gravestones of Athenians, and
funeral games also took place in the area as well as a
Dionysiac procession from Athens to the Hekademeia and then back to the city.
Plato's school
What was later to be known as Plato's school appears to have been part of Academia. Plato inherited the property at the age of thirty, with informal gatherings which included
Theaetetus of Sunium,
Archytas of Tarentum,
Leodamas of Thasos, and Neoclides. According to Debra Nails,
Speusippus
Speusippus (; ; c. 408 – 339/8 BC) was an ancient Greece, ancient Greek philosopher. Speusippus was Plato's nephew by his sister Potone. After Plato's death, c. 348 BC, Speusippus inherited the Platonic Academy, Academy, near age 60, and remai ...
"joined the group in about 390 BC". She claims, "It is not until
Eudoxus of Cnidos arrives in the mid-380s BC that
Eudemus recognizes a formal Academy." There is no historical record of the exact time the school was officially founded, but modern scholars generally agree that the time was the mid-380s, probably sometime after 387 BC, when Plato is thought to have returned from his first visit to Sicily. Originally, the meetings were held on Plato's property as often as they were at the nearby
Academy gymnasium; this remained so throughout the fourth century.
Though the academy was open to the public, the main participants were upper-class men.
It did not, at least during Plato's time, charge fees for membership.
Therefore, there was probably not at that time a "school" in the sense of a clear distinction between teachers and students, or even a formal curriculum. There was, however, a distinction between senior and junior members. Two women are known to have studied with Plato at the Academy,
Axiothea of Phlius and
Lasthenia of Mantinea.
The school has been seen as the first institution of higher learning in the west, with subjects as diverse as
mathematics
Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...
,
politics
Politics () is the set of activities that are associated with decision-making, making decisions in social group, groups, or other forms of power (social and political), power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of Social sta ...
,
ethics
Ethics is the philosophy, philosophical study of Morality, moral phenomena. Also called moral philosophy, it investigates Normativity, normative questions about what people ought to do or which behavior is morally right. Its main branches inclu ...
,
biology
Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, History of life, origin, evolution, and ...
,
geography
Geography (from Ancient Greek ; combining 'Earth' and 'write', literally 'Earth writing') is the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. Geography is an all-encompassing discipline that seeks an understanding o ...
,
astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest includ ...
,
history
History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...
, and many more being taught and investigated.
Diogenes Laërtius
Diogenes Laërtius ( ; , ; ) was a biographer of the Greek philosophers. Little is definitively known about his life, but his surviving book ''Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers'' is a principal source for the history of ancient Greek ph ...
divided the history of the Academy into three: the Old, the Middle, and the New. At the head of the Old he put Plato, at the head of the Middle Academy,
Arcesilaus, and of the New,
Lacydes.
Sextus Empiricus
Sextus Empiricus (, ; ) was a Greek Pyrrhonist philosopher and Empiric school physician with Roman citizenship. His philosophical works are the most complete surviving account of ancient Greek and Roman Pyrrhonism, and because of the argument ...
enumerated five divisions of the followers of Plato. He made Plato founder of the first Academy; Arcesilaus of the second;
Carneades
Carneades (; , ''Karneadēs'', "of Carnea"; 214/3–129/8 BC) was a Greek philosopher, perhaps the most prominent head of the Skeptical Academy in Ancient Greece. He was born in Cyrene. By the year 159 BC, he had begun to attack many previo ...
of the third;
Philo
Philo of Alexandria (; ; ; ), also called , was a Hellenistic Jewish philosopher who lived in Alexandria, in the Roman province of Egypt.
The only event in Philo's life that can be decisively dated is his representation of the Alexandrian J ...
and
Charmadas
Charmadas (; also Charmides (Χαρμίδης); 168/7 – 103/91 BC) was a Greek academic skeptic philosopher and a disciple of Carneades at the Academy in Athens. He was famous for his elegant style. Charmadas introduced the teaching of rhetoric ...
of the fourth; and
Antiochus of the fifth.
Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, orator, writer and Academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises tha ...
recognised only two Academies, the Old and New, and had the latter commence with Arcesilaus.
Old Academy
Plato's immediate successors as "
Scholarch" of the Academy were
Speusippus
Speusippus (; ; c. 408 – 339/8 BC) was an ancient Greece, ancient Greek philosopher. Speusippus was Plato's nephew by his sister Potone. After Plato's death, c. 348 BC, Speusippus inherited the Platonic Academy, Academy, near age 60, and remai ...
(347–339 BC),
Xenocrates
Xenocrates (; ; c. 396/5314/3 BC) of Chalcedon was a Greek philosopher, mathematician, and leader ( scholarch) of the Platonic Academy from 339/8 to 314/3 BC. His teachings followed those of Plato, which he attempted to define more closely, of ...
(339–314 BC),
Polemon (314–269 BC), and
Crates (–266 BC). Other notable members of the Academy include
Aristotle
Aristotle (; 384–322 BC) was an Ancient Greek philosophy, Ancient Greek philosopher and polymath. His writings cover a broad range of subjects spanning the natural sciences, philosophy, linguistics, economics, politics, psychology, a ...
,
Heraclides,
Eudoxus,
Philip of Opus, and
Crantor.
In at least Plato's time, the school did not have any particular doctrine to teach; rather, Plato (and probably other associates of his) posed problems to be studied and solved by the others. There is evidence of lectures given, most notably Plato's lecture "On the Good"; but probably the use of
dialectic
Dialectic (; ), also known as the dialectical method, refers originally to dialogue between people holding different points of view about a subject but wishing to arrive at the truth through reasoned argument. Dialectic resembles debate, but the ...
was more common. According to an unverifiable story, dated of some 700 years after the founding of the school, above the entrance to the Academy was inscribed the phrase ΑΓΕΩΜΕΤΡΗΤΟΣ ΜΗΔΕΙΣ ΕΙΣΙΤΩ, "Let no-one ignorant of geometry enter here."
Many have imagined that the Academic curriculum would have closely resembled the one canvassed in Plato's ''
Republic
A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a State (polity), state in which Power (social and political), political power rests with the public (people), typically through their Representat ...
''. Others, however, have argued that such a picture ignores the obvious peculiar arrangements of the ideal society envisioned in that dialogue. The subjects of study almost certainly included mathematics as well as the philosophical topics with which the Platonic dialogues deal, but there is little reliable evidence. There is some evidence for what today would be considered strictly scientific research:
Simplicius reports that Plato had instructed the other members to discover the simplest explanation of the observable, irregular motion of heavenly bodies: "by hypothesizing what uniform and ordered motions is it possible to save the appearances relating to planetary motions." (According to Simplicius, Plato's colleague Eudoxus was the first to have worked on this problem.)
Plato's Academy is often said to have been a school for would-be politicians in the ancient world, and to have had many illustrious alumni. In a recent survey of the evidence,
Malcolm Schofield, however, has argued that it is difficult to know to what extent the Academy was interested in practical (i.e., non-theoretical) politics since much of our evidence "reflects ancient polemic for or against Plato".
Middle Academy
Around 266 BC
Arcesilaus became Scholarch. Under Arcesilaus (–241 BC), the Academy strongly emphasized a version of
Academic skepticism
Academic skepticism refers to the philosophical skepticism, skeptical period of the Platonic Academy, Academy dating from around 266 BCE, when Arcesilaus became scholarch, until around 90 BCE, when Antiochus of Ascalon rejected skepticism, altho ...
closely similar to
Pyrrhonism. Arcesilaus was followed by
Lacydes of Cyrene (241–215 BC),
Evander and
Telecles (jointly) (205 – ), and
Hegesinus ().
New Academy
The New or Third Academy begins with
Carneades
Carneades (; , ''Karneadēs'', "of Carnea"; 214/3–129/8 BC) was a Greek philosopher, perhaps the most prominent head of the Skeptical Academy in Ancient Greece. He was born in Cyrene. By the year 159 BC, he had begun to attack many previo ...
, in 155 BC, the fourth Scholarch in succession from Arcesilaus. It was still largely skeptical, denying the possibility of knowing an absolute truth. Carneades was followed by
Clitomachus (129 – ) and
Philo of Larissa
Philo of Larissa ( ''Philon ho Larissaios''; 159/8–84/3 BC) was a Greek philosophy, Greek philosopher. It is very probable that his actual name was Philio - with a second iota. He was a pupil of Clitomachus (philosopher), Clitomachus, whom he s ...
("the last undisputed head of the Academy," –84 BC). According to
Jonathan Barnes, "It seems likely that Philo was the last Platonist geographically connected to the Academy." Around 90 BC, Philo's student
Antiochus of Ascalon began teaching his own rival version of Platonism rejecting Skepticism and advocating
Stoicism
Stoicism is a school of Hellenistic philosophy that flourished in ancient Greece and Rome. The Stoics believed that the universe operated according to reason, ''i.e.'' by a God which is immersed in nature itself. Of all the schools of ancient ...
, which began a new phase known as
Middle Platonism
Middle Platonism is the modern name given to a stage in the development of Platonic philosophy, lasting from about 90 BC – when Antiochus of Ascalon rejected the scepticism of the new Academy – until the development of neoplatonis ...
.
Destruction of the Academy
When the
First Mithridatic War
The First Mithridatic War /ˌmɪθrəˈdædɪk/ (89–85 BC) was a war challenging the Roman Republic's expanding empire and rule over the Greek world. In this conflict, the Kingdom of Pontus and many Greek cities rebelling against Roman rule ...
began in 88 BC, Philo of Larissa left Athens and took refuge in
Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
, where he seems to have remained until his death. In 86 BC,
Lucius Cornelius Sulla
Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix (, ; 138–78 BC), commonly known as Sulla, was a Roman people, Roman general and statesman of the late Roman Republic. A great commander and ruthless politician, Sulla used violence to advance his career and his co ...
laid siege to Athens and conquered the city, causing much destruction. It was during the siege that he laid waste to the Academy, as Plutarch relates: "He laid hands upon the sacred groves and ravaged the Academy, which was the most wooded of the city's suburbs, as well as the
Lyceum
The lyceum is a category of educational institution defined within the education system of many countries, mainly in Europe. The definition varies among countries; usually it is a type of secondary school. Basic science and some introduction to ...
."
The destruction of the Academy seems to have been so severe as to make the reconstruction and re-opening of the Academy impossible. When Antiochus returned to Athens from
Alexandria
Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...
, , he resumed his teaching but not in the Academy.
Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, orator, writer and Academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises tha ...
, who studied under him in 79/8 BC, refers to Antiochus teaching in a gymnasium called ''Ptolemy''. Cicero describes a visit to the site of the Academy one afternoon, which was "quiet and deserted at that hour of the day".
Neoplatonic Academy
Despite the Platonic Academy being destroyed in the first century BC, the philosophers continued to teach
Platonism
Platonism is the philosophy of Plato and philosophical systems closely derived from it, though contemporary Platonists do not necessarily accept all doctrines of Plato. Platonism has had a profound effect on Western thought. At the most fundam ...
in Athens during the
Roman era, but it was not until the early fifth century () that a revived academy (which had no connection with the original Academy) was established by some leading
neoplatonists
Neoplatonism is a version of Platonic philosophy that emerged in the 3rd century AD against the background of Hellenistic philosophy and religion. The term does not encapsulate a set of ideas as much as a series of thinkers. Among the common i ...
. The origins of neoplatonist teaching in Athens are uncertain, but when
Proclus
Proclus Lycius (; 8 February 412 – 17 April 485), called Proclus the Successor (, ''Próklos ho Diádokhos''), was a Greek Neoplatonist philosopher, one of the last major classical philosophers of late antiquity. He set forth one of th ...
arrived in Athens in the early 430s, he found
Plutarch of Athens and his colleague
Syrianus teaching in an Academy there. The neoplatonists in Athens called themselves "successors" (''
diadochoi'', but of Plato) and presented themselves as an uninterrupted tradition reaching back to Plato, but there cannot have actually been any geographical, institutional, economic or personal continuity with the original academy.
[Gerald Bechtle, Bryn Mawr Classical Review of Rainer Thiel, ''Simplikios und das Ende der neuplatonischen Schule in Athen''. Stuttgart, 1999](_blank)
(in English). The school seems to have been a private foundation, conducted in a large house which Proclus eventually inherited from Plutarch and Syrianus. The heads of the Neoplatonic Academy were
Plutarch of Athens,
Syrianus,
Proclus
Proclus Lycius (; 8 February 412 – 17 April 485), called Proclus the Successor (, ''Próklos ho Diádokhos''), was a Greek Neoplatonist philosopher, one of the last major classical philosophers of late antiquity. He set forth one of th ...
,
Marinus,
Isidore, and finally
Damascius
Damascius (; ; 462 – after 538), known as "the last of the Athenian Neoplatonists", was the last scholarch of the neoplatonic Athenian school. He was one of the neoplatonic philosophers who left Athens after laws confirmed by emperor Jus ...
. The Neoplatonic Academy reached its apex under Proclus (died 485).
Severianus studied under him.
The last Greek philosophers of the revived Neoplatonic Academy in the sixth century were drawn from various parts of the
Hellenistic
In classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Greek history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the death of Cleopatra VII in 30 BC, which was followed by the ascendancy of the R ...
cultural world and suggest the broad
syncretism
Syncretism () is the practice of combining different beliefs and various school of thought, schools of thought. Syncretism involves the merging or religious assimilation, assimilation of several originally discrete traditions, especially in the ...
of the common culture (see ''
koine''): Five of the seven Academy philosophers mentioned by
Agathias were
Syriac in their cultural origin:
Hermias and
Diogenes
Diogenes the Cynic, also known as Diogenes of Sinope (c. 413/403–c. 324/321 BC), was an ancient Greek philosopher and one of the founders of Cynicism (philosophy), Cynicism. Renowned for his ascetic lifestyle, biting wit, and radical critique ...
(both from Phoenicia),
Isidorus of Gaza,
Damascius
Damascius (; ; 462 – after 538), known as "the last of the Athenian Neoplatonists", was the last scholarch of the neoplatonic Athenian school. He was one of the neoplatonic philosophers who left Athens after laws confirmed by emperor Jus ...
of Syria,
Iamblichus
Iamblichus ( ; ; ; ) was a Neoplatonist philosopher who determined a direction later taken by Neoplatonism. Iamblichus was also the biographer of the Greek mystic, philosopher, and mathematician Pythagoras. In addition to his philosophical co ...
of Coele-Syria and perhaps even
Simplicius of Cilicia
Simplicius of Cilicia (; ; – c. 540) was a disciple of Ammonius Hermiae and Damascius, and was one of the last of the Neoplatonists. He was among the pagan philosophers persecuted by Justinian in the early 6th century, and was forced for ...
.
Christianity had gained power in the Roman empire and had been the state religion since the late fourth century, and so the demise of this
late antique Platonic school was only a matter of time. Although the Athenian Neoplatonists clearly rejected
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...
and their school was a center of intellectual resistance to the prevailing religion, they remained unchallenged for a surprisingly long time. It was not until 529 that the Eastern Roman Emperor
Justinian I
Justinian I (, ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was Roman emperor from 527 to 565.
His reign was marked by the ambitious but only partly realized ''renovatio imperii'', or "restoration of the Empire". This ambition was ...
banned the teaching; somewhat later he repeated and tightened the ban. Controversial in research is whether there was – as the chronicler
Ioannes Malalas claims – a special imperial decree ordering an end to the teaching of philosophy in Athens, or whether it was just a matter of implementing a general ban on teaching people who resisted baptism.
The last scholarch of the Neoplatonic Academy was
Damascius
Damascius (; ; 462 – after 538), known as "the last of the Athenian Neoplatonists", was the last scholarch of the neoplatonic Athenian school. He was one of the neoplatonic philosophers who left Athens after laws confirmed by emperor Jus ...
(d. 540). According to
Agathias, its remaining members looked for protection under the rule of
Sassanid
The Sasanian Empire (), officially Eranshahr ( , "Empire of the Iranian peoples, Iranians"), was an List of monarchs of Iran, Iranian empire that was founded and ruled by the House of Sasan from 224 to 651. Enduring for over four centuries, th ...
king
Khosrau I in his capital at
Ctesiphon
Ctesiphon ( ; , ''Tyspwn'' or ''Tysfwn''; ; , ; Thomas A. Carlson et al., “Ctesiphon — ܩܛܝܣܦܘܢ ” in The Syriac Gazetteer last modified July 28, 2014, http://syriaca.org/place/58.) was an ancient city in modern Iraq, on the eastern ba ...
, carrying with them precious scrolls of literature and philosophy, and to a lesser degree of science. After a peace treaty between the Persian and the
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...
in 532, their personal security (an early document in the history of
freedom of religion
Freedom of religion or religious liberty, also known as freedom of religion or belief (FoRB), is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice ...
) was guaranteed.
It has been speculated that the Neoplatonic Academy did not altogether disappear.
[Richard Sorabji, (2005), ''The Philosophy of the Commentators, 200–600 AD: Psychology (with Ethics and Religion)'', p. 11. Cornell University Press] After his exile, Simplicius (and perhaps some others) may have travelled to
Carrhae near
Edessa. From there, the students of an Academy-in-exile could have survived into the ninth century, long enough to facilitate an Arabic revival of the neoplatonist commentary tradition in
Baghdad
Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...
,
beginning with the foundation of the
House of Wisdom
The House of Wisdom ( ), also known as the Grand Library of Baghdad, was believed to be a major Abbasid Caliphate, Abbasid-era public academy and intellectual center in Baghdad. In popular reference, it acted as one of the world's largest publ ...
in 832.
Modern times
The site was rediscovered in the twentieth century, in the modern
Akadimia Platonos neighbourhood; considerable excavation has been accomplished and visiting the site is free. The site of the Academy is located near
Colonus, approximately north of Athens'
Dipylon gates.
[Ainian, A.M. & Alexandridou, A. (2007)]
"The 'sacred house' of the Academy Revisited"
''Acts of an International Symposium in Memory of William D. E. Coulson''. Volos, Greece: University of Thessaly
The University of Thessaly (UTh; Greek: ) is a public university in Thessaly, Greece, founded in 1984. The university includes the main campus in the city of Volos and regional campuses located in Karditsa, Larissa, Trikala, and the city of Lamia ...
.
Visitors today can visit the archaeological site of the Academy located on either side of the Cratylus street in the area of Colonos and Plato's Academy (Postal Code GR 10442). On either side of the Cratylus street are important monuments, including the Sacred House Geometric Era, the Gymnasium (first century BC – first century AD), the Proto-Helladic Vaulted House and the Peristyle Building (fourth century BC), which is perhaps the only major building that belonged to the actual Academy of Plato.
See also
*
Academy of Athens (modern)
The Academy of Athens (, ''Akadimía Athinón'') is Greece's national academy, and the highest research establishment in the country. It was established in 1926, with its founding principle tracing back to the historical Academy of Plato, and ...
*
Agora
The agora (; , romanized: ', meaning "market" in Modern Greek) was a central public space in ancient Ancient Greece, Greek polis, city-states. The literal meaning of the word "agora" is "gathering place" or "assembly". The agora was the center ...
*
Cyrenaics
The Cyrenaics or Kyrenaics (), were a sensual hedonist Greek school of philosophy founded in the 4th century BCE, supposedly by Aristippus of Cyrene, although many of the principles of the school are believed to have been formalized by his gra ...
*
Epicureanism
Epicureanism is a system of philosophy founded 307 BCE based upon the teachings of Epicurus, an ancient Greek philosopher. Epicurus was an atomist and materialist, following in the steps of Democritus. His materialism led him to religious s ...
*
Hellenistic philosophy
Hellenistic philosophy is Ancient Greek philosophy corresponding to the Hellenistic period in Ancient Greece, from the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC to the Battle of Actium in 31 BC. The dominant schools of this period were the Stoics, the ...
*
Lyceum (classical)
The Lyceum () was a temple in Athens dedicated to Apollo Lyceus ("Apollo the wolf-god").
It was best known for the Peripatetic school of philosophy founded there by Aristotle in 334 BC. Aristotle fled Athens in 323 BC, and the university con ...
*
Peripatetic school
The Peripatetic school ( ) was a philosophical school founded in 335 BC by Aristotle in the Lyceum in ancient Athens. It was an informal institution whose members conducted philosophical and scientific inquiries. The school fell into decline afte ...
*
Plato's Academy mosaic
*
Platonic Academy (Florence)
The Platonic Academy of Florence (Italian language, Italian: ''Accademia Platonica di Firenze'') was an informal discussion group which formed around Marsilio Ficino in the Florentine Renaissance of the fifteenth century.
History
In about 1462 ...
*
Platonism
Platonism is the philosophy of Plato and philosophical systems closely derived from it, though contemporary Platonists do not necessarily accept all doctrines of Plato. Platonism has had a profound effect on Western thought. At the most fundam ...
*
Stoicism
Stoicism is a school of Hellenistic philosophy that flourished in ancient Greece and Rome. The Stoics believed that the universe operated according to reason, ''i.e.'' by a God which is immersed in nature itself. Of all the schools of ancient ...
Notes
References
* Bartninkas, V. (2023).
Traditional and Cosmic Gods in Later Plato and the Early Academy' Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
* Baltes, M. 1993. "Plato's School, the Academy". ''Hermathena'', (155): 5–26.
* Brunt, P. A. 1993. "Plato's Academy and Politics". In ''Studies in Greek History and Thought''. Oxford: Clarendon Press, Chapter 10, 282–342.
* Cherniss, H. 1945. ''The Riddle of the Early Academy''. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press.
* Dancy, R. M. 1991. ''Two Studies in the Early Academy''. Albany, New York: State University of New York Press.
* Dillon, J. M. 1979. "The Academy in the Middle Platonic Period". ''Dionysius'', 3: 63–77.
* Dillon, J. 2003. ''The Heirs of Plato. A Study of the Old Academy, 347–274 BC''. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
* Dillon, John. 2009. "How Does the Soul Direct the Body, After All? Traces of a Dispute on Mind-Body Relations in the Old Academy". In ''Body and Soul in Ancient Philosophy'', edited by D. Frede and B. Reis, 349–356. Berlin: De Gruyter.
* Dorandi, T. 1999. "Chronology: The Academy". In ''The Cambridge History of Hellenistic Philosophy''. Edited by Keimpe Algra, Jonathan Barnes, Jaap Mansfeld, and Malcolm Schofield, 31–35. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge Univ. Press.
* Glucker, J. 1978. ''Antiochus and the Late Academy''. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht.
* (on the Neoplatonic academy).
* Lynch, J. P. 1972. ''Aristotle's School: A Study of a Greek Educational Institution''. Berkeley: University of California Press.
* Murray, J. S. 2006. "Searching for Plato's Academy, 1929–1940". ''Mouseion: Journal of the Classical Association of Canada'', 6 (2): 219–256
* Russell, J. H. 2012. "When Philosophers Rule: The Platonic Academy and Statesmanship". ''History of Political Thought'', 33 (2): 209–230.
* Trampedach, Kai (1994). ''Platon, die Akademie und die zeitgenössische Politik''
lato, the Academy, and contemporary politics ''
Hermes
Hermes (; ) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and mythology considered the herald of the gods. He is also widely considered the protector of human heralds, travelers, thieves, merchants, and orators. He is able to move quic ...
'' Einzelschriften, vol. 66. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner, .
* Wallach, J. R. 2002. "The Platonic Academy and Democracy". ''Polis (Exeter)'', 19 (1-2): 7–27
* Watts, E. 2007. "Creating the Academy: Historical Discourse and the Shape of Community in the Old Academy". ''The Journal of Hellenic Studies'', 127: 106–122.
* Wycherley, R. 1961. "Peripatos: The Athenian Philosophical SceneI". ''Greece & Rome'', 8(2), 152–163.
* Wycherley, R. 1962. "Peripatos: The Athenian Philosophical SceneII". ''Greece & Rome'', 9(1), 2–21.
* Zhmud, Leonid. 2006. "Science in the Platonic Academy". In ''The Origin of the History of Science in Classical Antiquity''. pp. 82–116. Berlin: De Gruyter.
External links
*
The Academy entry in the ''
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
The ''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' (''IEP'') is a scholarly online encyclopedia with around 900 articles about philosophy, philosophers, and related topics. The IEP publishes only peer review, peer-reviewed and blind-refereed original p ...
''
Directions to the archaeological site of Plato's Academy, other useful information, and some photos
{{Authority control
380s BC establishments
Ancient Athens
Educational institutions established in the 4th century BC
Education in classical antiquity
Hellenistic civilization
Landmarks in Athens
Academy
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...
Ancient Greek archaeological sites in Attica