PLATO’S ACADEMIA
Plato contributed immensely to Western philosophy. And also to Western education. In 387 BC he established an Academy in Athens. This was the first known school of higher education in the Western world. This was a major achievement that should be celebrated with a few short bullet points:
Name origin
The site of the academy was originally known as Ἑκαδήμεια (Hekademia). Later it was called Ἀκαδημία (Akademia).
Location
Paraphrased from an article by Thought Co., the location of Plato’s Academy was in a public grove near the ancient city of Athens. Wikipedia reports the exact location: “…The site of the Academy is located near Colonus, approximately, 1.5 kilometers (0.93 mi) north of Athens’ Dipylon gates…”
Function
Originally, the site was home to various religious groups. The olive trees grove was dedicated to the goddess Athena. Later, the garden was named for Akademos or Hecademus, a local hero after which the Academy was named. Ultimately, the garden was left to the citizens of Athens for use as a gymnasium. The garden was surrounded by art, architecture, and nature as it was famously adorned with statues, sepulchers, temples, and olive trees. Thought Co.
History milestones
Plato founded the Academy in 387 B.C.
The Roman dictator Sulla destroyed the Academy in 86 B.C.
Emperor Justinian, I terminated the Academy in 529 A.D.
The Academia legacy
Today the most respected scholars, researchers, educators, and all high-end learning are all associated with the entity known as Academia.
Related Posts
Also, read the related Blog posts as follows: Plato Totalitarian Visual Utopia, Plato and Justice, Plato’s Duality, Plato’s Imitation Theory, The Republic Lead subjects, Plato’s Regimes, Art as Imitation, Duality in Plato’s Republic, Plato and Art, Dystopia Connotations, Utopia Connotations, What is Utopia, Plato’s Republic, Who was Plato, Plato’s Visual Utopia book
The featured image artwork, “Akademia” was illustrated by Daniel Heller
