Last updated on .
The archaeological site of the Lyceum (Λύκειον) is just a few minutes walk east of Syntagma Square across from the Kolonaki area of Athens.
Although it’s one of the most important sites in the history of humankind, there’s not much to see. However, for those deeply interested in philosophy, archaeology, and ancient history, it’s definitely worth a visit.
Visiting the Lyceum
The Lyceum is open daily. Admission is €4 from April through October and €2 from November through March (as of February 2024). A combo ticket granting admission to several other archaeological sites in Athens along with the Acropolis is €30. The combo ticket is only worth buying in the summer months.
History of the Lyceum
The Lyceum was originally a sanctuary to the wolf-god Apollo Lyceus and was located outside the city wall to the east. It held three functions: a training area, a meeting place for philosophical discussions, and an area for cult activities. The original construction date is unknown, but it functioned until the early 4th century.
The site hosted Athenian Assembly meetings until they moved to the Pnyx in the 5th century BC. It also held military exercises. Socrates (c. 470 – 399 BC), Protagoras (c. 490 – c. 420 BC), and Prodicus of Chios (c. 465 – c. 395 BC) used to visit the Lyceum in the 5th century BC to teach and discuss philosophy.
The gymnasium was thought to have been built by either Peisistratos (c. 600 – 527 BC) in the 6th century BC or Pericles (c. 495 – 429 BC) in the 5th century BC. The palaestra was built in the second half of the 4th century BC and contains the remains of a cistern and a well.
In the palaestra, athletes would train in wrestling, boxing, and pankration (a mixed form of wrestling and boxing). It had an open court in the center measuring 23 x 26 meters surrounded by porticoes on three sides. A cold bath was added in the 1st century during the Roman period.
Aristotle
In the 4th century BC, the first philosophical schools were founded in gymnasia. The Peripatetic school of philosophy was founded at the Lyceum by Aristotle (384-322 BC) in 334 BC. He taught there for 12 years until he fled Athens in 322 BC. Philosophy was taught in the morning and rhetoric was taught in the early evening. Athenian men and boys would attend the school as part of their military service.
Aristotle also founded a library at the Lyceum. Alexander the Great was a major contributor, sending papyrus scrolls and plant and animal specimens from his conquests. This allowed Aristotle to establish the first zoo and botanical garden in recorded history.
Aristotle’s Lyceum lasted until 86 BC, when Roman general Sulla (138-78 BC) conquered Athens. Sulla shipped Aristotle’s entire library to Rome, and about 20% was lost on the journey. The Lyceum was re-established by Andronicus of Rhodes in the 1st century BC and flourished until 267, when the Heruli and Goths sacked Athens.
Discovery
The archaeological site was discovered in 1996 during an excavation to build the National Museum of Contemporary Art. The site opened to the public in 2009. Also at the site are the remains of a 19th century that was demolished in the 1960s.
