8/4/2015

Lyceum (Classical) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lyceum (Classical)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Lyceum (Ancient Greek: , Lykeion) was a gymnasium and before

that a public meeting place in a grove of trees in Classical Athens. The grove was
named in honor of its patron Apollo Lyceus ("Apollo as a wolf" or "Apollo in the
form of a wolf"). Though best known for its connection with Aristotle, the Lyceum
was in existence long before his founding the Peripatetic school there in 334 /
335 BCE and continued long after his flight from Athens in 323 BCE until the
Roman general Sulla sacked Athens in 86 BCE.[1]

Detail from "School of

Athens" by Raphael (1509).

The remains of the Lyceum were discovered in modern Athens in 1996 in a park
behind the Hellenic Parliament.

Contents
1 The Lyceum before Aristotle
2 Aristotle's school and library
2.1 History of Aristotle's library
3 The Lyceum after Aristotle
3.1 Leaders of the Lyceum
3.2 Members of the Lyceum
4 Aristotle's Lyceum today
5 See also
6 References
7 External links

The Lyceum before Aristotle

Speculation suggests that Pisistratus or Pericles may have originally initiated the building of the Lyceum as a
gymnasium in the 6th or 5th centuries BCE, though the Lyceum grounds would have predated the gymnasium. In
the early years of the Lyceum the head of the Greek army was said to have had an office there, which would have
made it easy for him to be involved in the military training and exercises for which the grounds were used. The
Lyceums use as a recreational gym and military training base is attested by the existence of wrestling rings, a
racetrack, and seats for athlothetai, the judges of athletic events.[1]
A long list of philosophers and sophists gave talks at the Lyceum prior to Aristotle, including Prodicus of Ceos,
Protagoras, and numerous rhapsodes.[1] The most famous philosophers to have taught there, however, were
Isocrates, Plato (of The Academy) and the best-known Athenian teacher, Socrates.[2] In addition to military
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyceum_(Classical)

1/5