The Missing Academy
Athens is one of the better known of the world's ancient cities. Not only have its glories been described in numerous ancient guide books, such as Pausanias' Guide to Greece, but almost constant archaeological work has been going on ever since the Greeks regained their independence. A modern map of the city centre identifies such sites as the Stoa of Hermes, the Library of Pantainos, the altar of Zeus Agoraios, the Odeon, the Nymphaion, the city mint and an imposing latrine.
One site, however, has remained tantalising out of reach of archaeologists and historians alike: the Lyceum where Aristotle taught. The famous philosopher is thought to have left the Academy at Athens shortly after the death of Plato, piqued because he was not elected to succeed the Master as its head. During his stay at Atarneus, in northern Asia Minor, and subsequently on the island of Lesbos, he investigated the natural world and the results of his researches formed the Animal History.
During this time he became first the tutor and then the protegé of the young Alexander and shortly after the murder of Alexander's father, Phillip the Great, Aristotle was dispatched back to Athens in 335 BC with orders to establish a second centre of learning that would rival the Academy, which was not always sympathetic to Macedonian aims. Aristotle picked the precinct of Lykian Apollo for his centre of learning and there established what has been called "the world's first university".
At the Lyceum young men were trained to be physically and mentally fit: there was a gymnasium where they could exercise their bodily skills and a colonnade were they could stand comfortably in the shade and discuss such burning issues as whether a pumpkin is a vegetable, a grass or a tree. (See Epikrates description of Plato's Academy.) Under Aristotle's guidance, however, as well as the honing of dialectical skills (which was the real purpose of the pumpkin debate) there was a good deal of practical research, to which Alexander contributed. On his great campaign into Asia Alexander often sent back rare or interesting specimens of the wild life he encountered in order to please his former teacher.
Twelve years later, however, in 323 BC Alexander died and Demosthenes, the anti-Macedonian champion, returned from exile. He quickly roused the Athenians against the foremost promoter of the Macedonian cause and Artistotle, faced with a charge of impiety, left Athens in a hurry, remarking that he would not want to cause the Athenians to sin twice against philosophy. (Socrates had also been charged with impiety and condemned to death.) Aristotle retired to a property his mother had owned on the island of Euboea and drowned there the following year while attempting to measure the speed of the tide in the Euripus straits between Euboea and the mainland.
The famous academy was discovered in 1930 by an alert pedestrian who stumbled across the remains of its gymnasium. Another gymnasium, that of Kynosarges, was discovered at Pankrati by the British School of Archaeology in 1886. Both these sites have since been swallowed up by the growth of the modern city: the academy is now in the middle of an industrial zone and the gymnasium of Kynosarges is a crowded suburb.
It is ironic that the Lyceum should be discovered in the course of further development. The civic authorities in Athens felt the need for a museum of modern art where the descendants of Pheidias and Praxiteles can enshrine rusting automobiles, bisected cows and heaps of rubber tyres — or whatever else passes for "art" in these degenerate days. As the proposed site, east of the Akropolis, was within the boundaries of the ancient city, the archaeologists were duly summoned to investigate the trenches dug for the foundations.
Efi Lygouri, head of the excavation team, soon realised that she had discovered part of yet another gymnasium, and pottery associated with the ancient stonework enabled her to date it to the fourth century BC. Other finds showed that the building had been in constant use, being repaired and modified, right up until the fourth century AD.
The next step was to search through the ancient guide books to discover exactly which building had occupied this location, a thankless and often frustrating task. For example, this is what Pausanias has to say:
"About the place called the Gardens and Aphrodite's Temple no story is told, nor about the Aphrodite standing near the shrine. She has a square shape like the figures of Hermes and the inscription says, 'Heavenly Aphrodite is the oldest of the Fates'. The statue of Aphrodite in the Gardens is by Alkamenes and among the best sights of Athens. There is a sanctuary of Herakles called Kynosarges. You can find out about the white dog by reading the oracle; the altars are to Herakles and Youth, the daughter of Zeus they believe is Herakles' mate. An altar has been erected to Alkmene and Iolaos, who shared most of Herakles' labours. The Lykeion is called after Lykos, Pandion's son, but people have always thought of it as Apollo's sanctuary and still do. This is where the god was first called Lykian Apollo."
You can see what I mean: there is no indication of "turn left and 100 yds up Panathenaia Street you will find ..." In fact, it now appears that Kynosarges and the Lyceum (or Lykaion) are nearly half a mile apart! It was known that the Lykeion was beyond the Diocharos Gate, which had been identified in 1957 by the extensive cemetery in front of it
When the excavators finally decided that they had discovered Aristotle's Lyceum the whole of Greece was agog. Yanis Tzedakis, director of the Depart of Antiquities at the Ministry of Culture, declared that the discovery was "like coming across the workshop of Leonardo da Vinci". Others have hailed it as the most important archaeological discovery since the founding of the Greek state 170 years ago.
Amid all the euphoria, one question remains to be answered: What is going to happen to all those earnest young men with goatee beards and piles of old tyres (bricks, rusting cars or whatever)? It is hardly likely that the government will proceed with the construction of a Museum of Modern Art over the remains of the renowned Lyceum. Tourists are more likely to part with a fistful of drachmas to see the place where Aristotle taught than to view old tyres, however meaningfully arranged - and drachmas talk!
