Lyceum [Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy] http://www.iep.utm.edu/l/lyceum.htm

The Lyceum
The Lyceum was a gymnasium near Athens and the site of a
philosophical school founded by Aristotle.
Table of Contents (Clicking on the links below will take you
to those parts of this article)
1. Location, Structures, and Layout of the Lyceum
a. Apodyterion
b. Dromoi and Peripatoi
c. Gymnasium Building
d. Palaistra
e. Sanctuaries
f. Seats
g. Stoas
h. Trees and Streams
2. History of the Use of the Lyceum
3. Sources
1. Location, Structures, and Layout of
the Lyceum
Archaeological exploration of the topography of the Lyceum has
been hampered by the sprawl of buildings in modern Athens. The
general location of the Lyceum outside and East of the ancient city
wall is well-attested (Strabo 9.1.24, Cleidemus, FGrH 323F18, and
Pausanias 1.19.3). Ancient literary and epigraphic sources and
modern archaeological investigation provide an occasional glimpse
into the layout and use of the Lyceum area in antiquity. While most
often connected with philosophical teaching and discourse, the
Lyceum was used for military exercises, meetings of the Athenian
assembly, and cult practice as well as athletic training.
This multiplicity of use had a direct impact on the types of
structures in the area and on the general development of the
Lyceum. From the earliest times, the area was characterized by
large open spaces and shady groves of trees, bounded roughly by
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Lyceum [Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy] http://www.iep.utm.edu/l/lyceum.htm

the Ilissos river to the south and the Eridanus river and Mt.
Lykabettos to the north. A series of roads led to the Lyceum from in
and around the city. From the sixth century BC to the sixth century
AD the area saw ever increasing numbers of buildings constructed
to serve its multiple functions.

Some literary references to the Lyceum give a fuller picture. For
example, in the first lines of Plato's Lysis, Socrates is walking along
a road from the Academy to the Lyceum that ran under the city wall
when he meets his friends Hippothales and Ktesippos near the
Panops springhouse (Lysis 203a-204a). This springhouse may be
the one mentioned by Strabo (9.1.19), who adds that these springs
were "near the Lyceum." Strabo also tells us that the Ilissus river
flowed down "from above Agrai and the Lyceum" (9.1.24). In
addition, Xenophon records that during a raid by the Spartans
against the city from their encampment at Dekeleia to the East of
the city, the Athenians came out and drew up their troops
"immediately near the Lyceum gymnasium" (Hellenica 1.1.33).

Recent excavations by the Greek Archaeological Service in the area
of modern Syntagma have revealed that the area immediately to
the East of the ancient city wall was filled with ancient cemeteries
and factories, and an immense bathing complex of the Roman
period. In addition, sections of a broad, ancient road running East
-West through this area have been uncovered. These finds merely
add to the list of similar buildings, baths, and graves previously
found in the Syntagma area.

In 1996 excavations in the area of modern Rigillis Street uncovered
a structure that has been identified by the excavator as a palaistra
in the Lyceum. The site continues to be excavated and studied and
has not yet been fully published.

In sum, the ancient literary, epigraphic, and archaeological evidence
indicates that the area known as the "Lyceum" probably covered a
large area to the East of the ancient city wall, but was not
immediately adjacent to the wall. It may have begun just to the
West of the modern Amalias Blvd. and continued East through the
modern National Gardens with the Olympieion and Ilissos river
forming its southern boundaries; it may have extended northward
as far as modern Kolonaki plateia. If further excavation at the site
near Rigillis St. confirms the excavator's assertions that the ancient
buildings there were located in the Lyceum, then we may at least
have an indication of the eastern extent of the gymnasium area.

A number of different types of construction are mentioned in the
literary and epigraphic sources as being in the Lyceum: an
apodyterion (dressing room), dromoi (roads or running tracks) and

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