Plato's Academy
Its Workings and its History

A comprehensive, interdisciplinary history of Plato's Academy, the most prominent philosophical school in antiquity, which lasted for about 300 years.

Paul Kalligas (Edited by), Chloe Balla (Edited by), Effie Baziotopoulou-Valavani (Edited by), Vassilis Karasmanis (Edited by)

9781108426442, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 12 March 2020

444 pages, 12 b/w illus. 8 maps
23.6 x 15.8 x 2.6 cm, 0.81 kg

'… the volume demonstrates that our understanding of ancient philosophical schools stands to gain from a better awareness of the complexities of their topography and intellectual context.' Myrthe L. Bartels, Metascience

The Academy was a philosophical school established by Plato that safeguarded the continuity and the evolution of Platonism over a period of about 300 years. Its contribution to the development of Hellenistic philosophical and scientific thinking was decisive, but it also had a major impact on the formation of most of the other philosophical trends emerging during this period. This volume surveys the evidence for the historical and social setting in which the Academy operated, as well as the various shifts in the philosophical outlook of Platonism during its existence. Its contribution to the evolution of special sciences such as mathematics is also examined. The book further includes the first complete annotated translation in English of Philodemus' History of the Academy, preserved on a papyrus from Herculaneum. It thus offers a comprehensive picture of one of the most prominent and influential of all educational institutions in ancient Greece.

1. Introduction Paul Kalligas
2. In the shadow of Athena Polias: the divinities of the Academy, polites' training and death in service to Athens Daniela Marchiandi
3. Observations on the topography of ancient Academia Manolis Panayiotopoulos and Tania Chatziefthimiou
4. The gymnasium of the Academy and the School of Plato Eutychia Lygouri-Tolia
5. The Academy in Athenian politics and society – between disintegration and integration: the first eighty years (387/6–306/5) Matthias Haake
6. Plato in the Academy: some cautious reflections John Glucker
7. Plato and the mathematics of the Academy Vassilis Karasmanis
8. Euclid of Alexandria: a child of the Academy? Michalis Sialaros
9. The study of natural kinds in the Academy István Bodnár
10. 'Appropriation' of Pythagoreanism in the early Academy: the case of Xenocrates of Chalcedon Phillip Sidney Horky
11. Polemon, grosser Schatten of the Old Academy John Dillon
12. One Academy? The transition from Polemo and Crates to Arcesilaus Harrold Tarrant
13. Carneades' theological arguments David Sedley
14. The end of the Academy Mauro Bonazzi
15. The Academy through Epicurean eyes: some lives of Academic Myrto Hatzimichali
Appendix. Index.

Subject Areas: Western philosophy: Ancient, to c 500 [HPCA], History of Western philosophy [HPC], Classical history / classical civilisation [HBLA1]