PERUSAL IN THE SHADE OF AN OLD TREE PROJECT COMMON E-BOOK

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As International Mixed Teams1&5, we researched Olea
Europaea in terms of tree history, geography,
agriculture and economy. We worked together,
collaborated and learnt a lot of interesting information
about the history of the Olive Tree. Here is a summary of
our common research.
Symbol of peace, wisdom, fertility, prosperity, luck,
victory. This tree, that loves the sea and the
Mediterranean sun, grows even on arid and rocky soils
and survives under drought conditions and strong
winds. It has accompanied the inhabitants of this land in
times of both prosperity, and deprivation and has left its
imprint in every aspect of the cultural tradition of the
Mediterranean people.

In the Greek tradition, when a child is born, an olive tree
is planted. The olive tree and the child will grow up
together and when the child will become 6 years old, the
olive tree will give its first fruit. It will grow with the
family, survive through decades, and will still be there
for all the coming generations to always remind us the
continuity and the evolution of life.

The expected life of an olive tree is 300 to 600 years, yet
there are olive trees more than 1,000 years old. The
history of the olive tree began around 7.000 years ago
more precisely in the Eastern Mediterranean.

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It is speculated that it first appeared in Syria, as indicated
by various depictions on vessels and by the multitude of
myths of the people around the Mediterranean. It was
Greece however, through Phoenician merchants, who
brought it in the European Mediterranean area- Italy,
France, Spain, Portugal- from where it spread to America
and Australia. Among the earliest archaeological
evidence for the domestication of olives comes from the
Chalcolithic Period site of Teleilat Ghassul in what is
today modern Jordan.
Some of the different varieties of marinated olives (black
and green) sold by farmers and in shops.
It is not known where the olive tree was first cultivated,
but it traces very early to Asia Minor and spread to the
Mediterranean. Tradition points to the limestone hills of
Attica as the seat of its first cultivation on the Hellenic
peninsula.

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The ancient Greeks brought olive cultivation to their
colonies: Sicily, southern France, the west coast of Spain
and the Black Sea coast. They loved and deified the olive
tree and attributed a religious and sacrosanct character
to its origin, condemning to death anyone who
destroyed an olive tree.
Messengers would come to conclude peace carrying
an olive branch, while the only award for the winners at
the Olympic Games was a wreath from an olive branch.
Many Greek philosophers studied the medicinal
properties of this sacred tree. Dioscorides, Diocles,
Anaxagoras, Empedocles, Hippocrates; the Hippocratic
code features more than 60 olive treatments.
Realizing the value of the olive oil, the Romans
contributed to the spread of the olive tree throughout the
territories of their empire. Trade grew even more and
Roman ships were carrying large quantities of oil in
areas where olive trees were not cultivated, or in areas
where there was a lack of olive oil due to low production.
It was the period when new olive extraction techniques
were developed and great progress was made in the
dissemination of the olive-related knowledge.

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Wild olives in Greece were being collected since the
Neolithic period already, but the place where the domestic
cultivation of the olive tree began, most probably was Crete.
Archaeological data and historical findings confirm that
during the Minoan period (3000-1000 BC) olive cultivation
and olive oil trading was widespread in Crete, which also
accounts partly for the economic boom that occurred on
the island during this period. In the Palace of Knossos
pottery (jars) and cisterns of stone for olive oil storage
have been found, while at Phaistos one can see findings of
an oil mill of that time.

In Byzantine times the traditional olive cultivation centers
were maintained, while the olive groves of the Christian
monasteries accounted for a large part of the total
production. Olive oil distribution followed the ancient
schemes: it was stored in special jars, loaded onto vessels
and led to major urban centers or wherever there was an
increase of demand. The need for light (illumination of
temples, palaces and houses), alongside other uses,
created a rising demand, meaning the Empire was
continuously deficient in olive oil. It is not surprising
therefore that quite often the authorities would prohibit

exports, even though the Byzantine Empire was the
largest exporter of olive oil worldwide.

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By the time of the Athenian statesman Solon (c. 638 B.C.E.–
558 B.C.E.), the olive had spread so much that he found it
necessary to enact laws to regulate the cultivation of the
tree in Attica. From here it gradually spread to all the
Athenian allies and tributary states. Phoenician vessels
may have taken olive cuttings to the Ionian coast, where it
abounded in the time of Thales; the olives of the Sporades,
Rhodes and Crete perhaps had a similar origin. Samos, if
we may judge from the epithet of Aeschylus, must have had
the plant long before the Persian Wars.

Olive oil has been more than mere food to the peoples of the
Mediterranean: It has been medicinal, magical, an endless
source of fascination and wonder, and the fountain of
great wealth and power. The leafy branches of the olive
tree, as a symbol of abundance, glory, and peace, were
used to crown the victors of friendly games and bloody
war, and the oil of its fruit has anointed the noblest of
heads throughout history. As emblems of benediction and
purification, they were also ritually offered to deities and
powerful figures: Some were even found in Tutankhamen's
tomb.

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DNA analysis reveals the olive was first domesticated
in the eastern Mediterranean between 8,000 and 6,000
years ago. The olive was first domesticated in the Eastern
Mediterranean between 8,000 and 6,000 years ago, according
to new research.
The findings, published today in the journal Proceedings of the
Royal Society B, are based on the genetic analysis of nearly 1,900
samples from around the Mediterranean Sea. The study reveals
that domesticated olives, which are larger and juicier than wild
varieties, were probably first cultivated from wild olive trees at
the frontier between Turkey and Syria.

"We can say there were probably several steps, and it probably
starts in the Levant," or the area that today includes Israel,
Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, said study co-author
Gillaume Besnard, an archaeobotanist at the National Center for
Scientific Research in France. "People selected new cultivars
everywhere, but that was a secondary diversification later."

To unravel the history of the olive tree, the team took 1,263 wild
and 534 cultivated olive tree samples from throughout the
Mediterranean and analyzed genetic material from the trees'
chloroplasts, the green plant structures where photosynthesis
takes place.

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Because chloroplast DNA is passed from one tree to the
descendant trees that spring up around it, the DNA can
reveal local changes in plant lineages, he said.

The researchers then reconstructed a genetic tree to show
how the plant dispersed. The team found that the thin,
small and bitter wild fruit first gave way to oil-rich, larger
olives on the border between Turkey and Syria.

After that first cultivation, modern-day domesticated
olives came mostly from three hotspots: the Near East ,
the Aegean Sea and the Strait of Gibraltar. They were then
gradually spread throughout the Mediterranean with the
rise of civilization. "Pollen from the olive tree is wind-
transported, so it can migrate long distances" he said.

But to get a true sense of how the olive tree emerged,
the researchers shouldn't just look at chloroplast
DNA, said Mr Bervillé, a geneticist at the French
National Institute for Agricultural Research, who

was not involved in the study. Nuclear DNA, which
is carried in the pollen, should also be analyzed,
Bervillé told LiveScience. Combining both types of
DNA would allow researchers to understand both
how local olive tree cultivation occurred and how
more long-distance changes occurred, he said.

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eht nTHE ANCIENT SYMBOLeerT d
IN MYTHOLOGY &
RELIGIOUS SCRIPTS

Perusal

PROJECT

Shade of an Ol

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From the Oldest Ep c to the
Rel g ous Scr pts

According to the Holy Book of Islam, God taught the
same eternal knowledge to all the Prophets chosen as
Messengers to the humans of the planet Earth. When
we look at the history of religions throughout the
civilizations, the belief system of a nation or era shows
the people had tried to find the answer of the meaning
of life and the source of life in this world. Throughout
the beginning of humankind, starting from the first
human Prophet Adam according to the Religious
Scripts, Holy Words of God were told all the people by
the Messengers chosen as Prophets as an example of
God's eternal mercy upon the humanity.

Religion is regarded as an important aspect of
civilizations by scholars and olive tree has a sacred
placein many religions. So it is called the Tree of
Civilization. So we wanted to learn the importance of
olive trees in the history of religions as an aspect of
civlization history of peoples of the world. In our
research, we learnt that the olive tree has a very old
and special place in the history of religions. Firstly, we
would like to give some information about the ancient
religions, secondly, we would like to summarise the
three religious scripts mentions of the tree in
Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

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The theme we would like to learn was the oldest story of
the world The Great Flood and Noah's Ark. The reason
we want to learn the story of The Great Flood that is has
been told since the ancient times in almost all myths and
religions so far. The Holy Books of the three monotheist
religions Judaism, Christainity and Islam mentions the
The Great Flood anectode in many lines of the Holy
Scripts. According to the Holy Book of Islam, Kuran'ı
Kerim was revealed with Prophet Muhammed (SAV) the
culmination of a series of divine messages starting with
those revealed to Adam, including the Tawrah (Torah),
the Zabur (Psalms) and the Injil (Gospel). In Kuran'ı
Kerim, Bible and Tawrah as the three biggest religions of
today tell the story of The Great Flood and Noah's Ark
and gives importance to the anectode. In Islam religion,
Noah is the Prophet of God commissioned to warn and
teach his people.

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The olive tree and olive branch have been symbols of
peace and reconciliation ever since the account of
Noah’s flood. When the dove brought Noah “a plucked
olive leaf in its beak,” the olive branch represented new
life sprouting on the earth. The olive tree was alive and
growing. The promise of the dove’s olive branch was a
new beginning for humanity, peace and reconciliation
with God, renewal, and revival. The slow and hearty
growth of the olive tree also implies establishment and
peace. Some of the oldest olive trees in the world still
grow today in the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount
of Olives.

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Two Surahs from the Holy Scr pts
of Islam ment on ng the Ol ve Tree

"God is the light of the heavens and the earth. The representation of its
light is this: A cell on the wall; There is a lamp inside, and an oil lamp
in a glass fan. Fânûs is a star that shines like a pearl. It is ignited from
a blessed tree, an olive tree that belongs neither to the east nor to the west.
The oil of this tree is almost illuminated (clear enough) even if the fire
does not touch it. Light upon light. Allah guides whomever He wishes to
His light. God gives examples for people. God knows everything."
Nûr: 35

SURA NUR KURAN, the Holy Book of Islam

Swear by Spirit and Olive. (1)Tafsir scholars have stated that the words 19
"Tîn" and "Zeytûn" mentioned in the verse can be the generic names for fig
and olive meanings, as well as the special names of two sacred places. The
second view seems healthier in terms of being in harmony with the later
statements "Mount Sinai" and "safe city (Mecca)".
Swear by Mount Sinâ. Swear by this safe city (Mecca), We truly
created human beings in the best way possible. Then We brought it down
below.
But those who believe and do righteous deeds are different. There is a
constant reward for them. (O human!) So what thing denies you reckoning
and punishment? Is not Allah the best judge of those who rule?

SURA TİN KURAN, the Holy Book of Islam

The Ep c of G lgamesh
and the Great Flood

Citing the earliest examples of the Epic of Gilgamesh, and
if the myths around Gilgamesh are to be believed, the
epic stood right at the top of the great literary
masterpieces of ancient times. It is without doubt a gem
in the history of cuneiform literature, a writing system
developed by the. ancient Sumerians themselves around
3500 to 3000 BC.

The Epic of Gilgamesh stands out as one of the earliest-
known pieces of writings in human history. It is an epic
poem which narrates the story of the life of a man named
Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh was the King of Uruk, a majestic
Sumerian city that is located in present-day Iraq. This
historic piece of poetic literature actually predates Homer’s
earliest writings by 1,500 years. For this reason, many
historians have put it as the oldest remaining remnant of an
epic in the history of Western literature. Starting off by
introducing the powerful character of Gilgamesh, the epic
takes the lead characters on an adventure where
they learn about life, death, and friendship.

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“… and mank nd s reborn w th ol ve.”

One of the stories in the Old Testament mentions Noah
and the flood. Seeing that the humankind that has been
created sowed the seeds of evil on earth, God decided to
punish people with a flood. Then God orders Noah to
build a ship and to take with him seven each of every
animal, a male and his female. Then the great flood
begins, and everything on the earth, except for Noah and
the creatures on his ship were destroyed. As the
floodwaters decrease, Noah releases a dove from the
window of the ark to the spot where the sun had set, to
see if the waters recede from the earth. The dove
returns to the ship since the water does not recede.
After seven days, Noah rereleases the dove. When the
dove returned to him in the evening, there was a freshly
plucked olive leaf in its beak. Noah realizes that the
waters recede from the earth. Since then, the dove with
an olive leaf in its beak becomes the symbol of hope,
abundance, well-being, and peace. The olive tree, which
resists the destructive power of the flood, becomes the
symbol of immortality.

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Epic of Gilgamesh: Standard Akkadian Version
This is by far the more popular and well-preserved
version, composed by Sin-liqe-unninni somewhere
between 1300 and 1000 BC in contemporary
Mesopotamia. It was discovered by Hormuzd Rassam
in the ruins of the library of Ashurbanipal in Nineveh.
The standard Akkadian and Old Babylonian versions
have two different and distinct opening phrases. In
cuneiform texts, these opening words are known as
“incipit.” The incipit in the Old Babylonian version
opens with the words Surpassing all other kings
whereas in the standard version it says: He who saw
the deep. In the second phrase, the word “deep” is
translated from the Akkadian word nagbu which
linguists have interpreted as having the meaning
“unknown mysteries.”

The standard Akkadian version consists of 11 tablets
that map the entire story of Gilgamesh from his birth
to his friendship with Enkidu and then his eventual
journey in search of eternal life. The final tablet
concludes the epic by retelling how Gilgamesh
attains the knowledge to worship the gods and
decides to live the rest of his life virtuously as a wise
king. A 12th tablet was added to the Akkadian
version at a later date as a sequel to the
original 11 tablets.

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The Epic of Gilgamesh and the Hebrew Bible have
strikingly similar themes and storylines. Perhaps the
best-known event that occurs across the two narratives
is the flood story. The epic’s flood story pans out almost
exactly like the tale of Noah’s ark in the Bible.
The rich history of the Epic of Gilgamesh puts its legacy
beyond that of a simple archaeological artefact. Yes, the
epic has its fair share of bizarre twists and rather
unusual theories on the creation of the universe. It has
also been retold and reshaped countless times which
might have significantly altered the original storyline.
Despite all this, the tale of the epic remains
mesmerizing, be that in terms of the monumental
adventure Gilgamesh sets out on or in terms of the
powerful message the epic delivers to its readers.

"Human ty's common h story s here."

Archeologist have been searching the location of Noah's
Ark for years. It is very interesting that some
archeologists reading the ancient scripts, analysing the
location have found the Ark at the top of Mount Ağrı.

"There s a vessel undderground."

Andrew Jones, who was on the team of

New Zealand researcher John Larson, who conducted

underground radar imaging in Telçeker Village in 2014,

explained the research processes and findings as

follows: "We waited 23

for a year. In the end, Larson was given permission for the
radar image, not for excavation. We came too. Noah's Ark
may or may not be. But it exactly matches what the Bible
says. Radar images show that there is a 3-storey building
under the ground. We are sure that the petrifying
structure is not a natural formation, because the end of
the ship, namely the stern, is facing upwards. folded
shape. "
According to Jones, who emphasized the importance of
opening the region to archaeological excavations, the
common history of humanity lies here: "We sent the
results documents to the Turkish government. We
contacted universities that might want to carry out
excavations. We saw that their perspectives were positive.
But the agenda in Turkey was always very full. If a
professional excavation can be done, we will understand
what this place is. "Whatever religion or country you come
from, the common history of all humanity lies here."

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A Mythos Symbol “Olive”
In Paganism, an ancient form of belief that dates back to
nature religions, the olive fruit, which was presented to the
gods on the altars, turns into a form that used olive oil as
lighteners in Ancient Egypt and Greek religious rituals. It is
rumoured that Achilles, one of the Trojan heroes of the Iliad,
put olive oil into the mane of his horses. In Greek mythology,
goddesses give birth to their children in the shadow of an
olive tree. The birth of a boy is announced by hanging olive
branches at the entrance of the house. In the Roman Empire,
a commander who won the war was crowned with olive
branches and this ritual was also applied to gladiators who
defeated their opponents.

In the Christian religion, oil is still used today in the
sacraments of baptism, confirmation, the anointing of the
sick, and the ordaining of priests and bishops. Moreover, a lit
oil lamp on the altar signifies the presence of the Lord.

Ancient Egypt The fruit of the goddess ISIS…
Ancient Egyptian beliefs suggest that Egyptians knew how to
produce olive oil long before the Greeks and Palestinians.
According to legend, Isis, the goddess of the marriage, taught
the Egyptians 6,000 years ago, to grow the olive trees and to
benefit from their products.

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The ancient Egyptians believed that the goddess Isis
taught them how to cultivate this sacred fruit. The fact
that Isis was the goddess of the fertile Egyptian lands
watered by the Nile forms the basis of this belief.
Olives accompanied the divine virtues in Ancient Egypt.
The crown of Pharaoh Tutankhamun, decorated with
olive leaves, was the crown of justice. Tutankhamun,
the most well-known pharaoh of Egypt, was depicted
in numerous artworks with a crown of justice made
from olive branches.
Illumination Symbol of Ra
Ramses III (1198-1166 BC) presents the olive branches,
the symbol of illumination, to Ra, the God of the Sun,
and expresses his pride in these words: “I adorned
your city of Heliopolis with olive trees. Those olive
trees that we get pure olive oil from their fruits. This
olive oil is the oil that feeds the oil lamps that
illuminate your temple.”
One of the historical documents revealing the
production of olives in Egypt is on the walls of
Sakkara, the oldest pharaoh pyramid in Egypt. Built in
2500 BC, the walls of this pyramid are decorated with
figures depicting the olive squeezing process. Another
critical information to be mentioned is the olive mill,
which was unearthed during the excavations in Haifa.
This mill, thought to belong to the 4th millennium BC, is
the oldest witness to the production of olives in this
region where Egyptian civilization flourished.

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Athena the Goddess of W sdom,
Ol ve Trees, C v l zat on & Insp rat on
“It s the g ft of Athena, the goddess
represent ng fert l ty and peace.”

The most famous mythological story about olive
oil is depicted in the reliefs in the Parthenon pediment.
According to the story, the god of the city of Athens was
determined by an olive branch.
Athena, the patron of the city of Athens, is associated with
sacred symbols from which she derived her powers. She
was Zeus’s daughter, who possessed great wisdom,
bravery, and battle strategy. Her sacred animal was the
owl and the olive tree was one of her most recognised
symbols.
According to the myth, Athena produced a beautiful olive
tree as a gift to offer the people of Athens. She won the
contest held by her father Zeus to be the patron of the city
with this gift, and her name was given to the city Athens. In
these pictures, we see the olive tree as a symbol of her
strength, divine power and immortality.
Goddess Athena, the Patron & Protector of Athens

Zeus convenes the Assembly of the Gods to
determine which god will protect the city-state

of Athens, which was founded in the
17th century BC.

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According to the decision, the god or goddess who gave
the most valuable gift to the new city will win the
competition and become the protector of Athens.
Poseidon, the god of the sea, creates a horse from the
sea that will be useful in battles and presents it to the
assembly. The gift of Pallas Athena, the goddess of
reason, science, and art, is an olive branch. This tree
will grow and live for hundreds of years. A healthy
liquid obtained from the fruit of the tree will help to
prepare delicious food. This fluid will heal wounds,
illuminate dark nights, embrace people with its shade
under the hot sun. Athena wins the competition. The tree
is planted in the Acropolis. The olive tree, the symbol of
peace, now symbolizes the established culture and
fertility.

Ol ve Tree s the f rst of all trees..
“Olea pr ma omn um arborum est..”

Athena is both the daughter of Zeus and the goddess

who is closest to her. Therefore, she is privileged.

Athens is the capital city. Olive represents virginity and

purity. In ancient Greece, only virgins were allowed to

collect olives. Those who were not virgins could not

touch this fruit. Olive was so blessed. Athena is also a

virgin and represents purity. The role that the

system determines for her is to represent

virginity. Therefore, Athena grows the first

olive tree. 28

“The most mportant s gn of com ng from a holy
fam ly s to be born under an ol ve tree.”

This legend is one of the proofs of the holiness of the olive
fruit and olive tree in ancient Greece. According to the
ancient Greeks, the most important sign of coming from a
holy family is to be born under an olive tree. Moreover, the
epics written by Homeros believed to have lived in the 8th
century BC, are decorated with vibrant depictions and
metaphors of olive trees and olive oil.
This sacred tree symbolizes immortality in all mythologies.
Any person visiting Anatolia’s Aegean coast today can sit
under an olive tree of which Homer also sit under its
shade, and hear this old wise tree whispering in his/her
ear:

“I belong to everyone, and I don’t belong to
anyone. I was here before you got here, and
I’m go ng to be here after you’re gone.” HOMER

The First Olive Protection Act in History: Solon's Laws
With the laws of Solon, one of the seven sages of ancient
Greece, severe punishments were applied to those who cut
the olive tree. This is the first known olive protection law in
history. Hippocrates, known as the founder of medical
science, recommends to people who do not use the
bath, at least to rub their bodies with olive oil.

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Athletes who exercise in the gymnasium use olive oil to
polish and soften their muscles. Although the torch
started to be used, oil lamps burning with olive oil were
indispensable objects of the houses. Olympic heroes were
honored with crowns made of olive branches. The
winners of the Panathenaic Games were given as prizes
amphoras, containing as much as 10 gallons of olive oil.
The most valuable part of daily nutrition was olive oil and
olive in ancient Greece.

“The most mportant s gn
of com ng from a holy fam ly
s to be born under
an ol ve tree.”

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The first written story in the world:
EPIC of GILGAMESH

Written around 2000 B.C., the Epic of

Gilgamesh is based on a

Mesopotamian ruler of the same

name who governed the city of Uruk

about seven hundred years earlier.

Originally written in Akkadian, it was

translated into several Near

Eastern languages and became the

most famous literary creation of

the ancient Babylonians. Ira Spar of

The world's oldest work of literature, the Metropolitan Museum of Art

the Epic of Gilgamesh recounts the wrote: “The myth known today as

adventures of the semimythical The Epic of Gilgamesh was

Sumerian king of Uruk and his ultimately considered in ancient times to be

futile quest for immortality after the one of the great masterpieces of

death of his friend and companion, Enkidu, cuneiform literature. Copies of

a wildman sent by the gods. Gilgamesh parts of the story have been found

was deified by the Sumerians around 2500

in Israel, Syria, and Turkey and

BCE, and his tale as we know it today was

references to the hero are attested

codified in cuneiform tablets around 1750

in Greek and Roman literature.

BCE and continued to influence ancient

cultures. The epic was, however, largely

forgotten, until the cuneiform tablets

were rediscovered in 1872 in the British

Museum's collection of recently

unearthed Mesopotamian artifacts. The

Epic of Gilgamesh has become a point of

reference throughout Western culture.

It has inspired many works of
literature, art, and music, as Theodore
Ziolkowski points out in his book
Gilgamesh Among Us: Modern Encounters
With the Ancient Epic (2011)

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Goddess Athena: The Patron&
Protectress of Athens

Athena, also spelled Athene, in Greek
religion, the city protectress, goddess
of war, handicraft, and practical
reason, identified by the Romans with
Minerva. She was essentially urban and
civilized, the antithesis in many
respects of Artemis goddess of the
outdoors. Athena was probably a pre-
Hellenic goddess and was later taken
over by the Greeks. Yet the Greek
economy, unlike that of the Minoans,
was largely military, so that Athena,

while retaining her earlier domestic
functions, became a goddess of war.

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Every single “academy” in the world is named after
the original Akademia of Athens. Founded by Plato
after the execution of his teacher, Socrates, at the
start of the 4th century BC, Plato’s Academy was the
first major school of philosophy, the first academic
institution. It’s one of the very foundation stones of
Western civilization. For centuries, it was considered
a centre of learning, and a beacon of light, throughout
the Western world.

The Academy, founded by the philosopher Plato in the
early 4th century BCE, was perhaps one of the earliest
higher learning institutions. While it was not like a
university where people would enroll and obtain
advanced degrees, it functioned as one of the first
places for dedicated research into scientific and
philosophical questions, at least in Europe, took place
by gathered scholars.

Plato’s Academy was not a formal school or college in
the sense we're familiar with. Rather, it was a more
informal society of intellectuals who shared a
common interest in studying subjects such as
philosophy, mathematics, and astronomy. Plato held
the belief that knowledge was not purely the result of
inner reflection but instead, could be sought through

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observation and therefore, taught to others. It was
based upon this belief that Plato founded his famous
Academy.
Its main function was to teach Plato's philosophical
understanding, but it also challenged its scholars to
develop a new understanding of our universe. This
makes it one of the first known institutions
that dedicated itself to fundamental discovery
about our universe.

The Establishment of the Academy

Plato founded the Academy sometime 35
between 390-380 BCE in Athens.
Fundamentally, the school served as a place where
Plato's philosophies would be taught. The meeting
location of Plato’s Academy was originally a public
grove near the ancient city of Athens. The garden
had historically been home to many other groups
and activities. It had once been home to religious
groups with its grove of olive trees dedicated to
Athena, the goddess of wisdom, war, and crafts.
Later, the garden was named for Akademos or
Hecademus, a local hero after which the Academy
was named. Ultimately, the garden was left to the
citizens of Athens for use as a gymnasium.
The garden was surrounded by art, architecture,
and nature. It was

famously adorned with statues, sepulchers,
temples, and olive trees.
The Academy's idea was to have an institution where
dedicated scholars would meet, discuss, and lecture
about the nature of the universe. Plato believed that
knowledge was not attained by only contemplation
but through discussion, teaching, and research.
Plato delivered his lectures there in the small grove,
where senior and junior members of the exclusive
group of intellectuals met. It has been surmised that
these meetings and teachings employed several
methods, including lectures, seminars, and even
dialogue, but primary instruction would have been
conducted by Plato himself.

Plato initially gave many of the lectures and 36
seminars, where he would also field questions from
his select audience of scholars. The subjects
focused upon were mathematics, natural science,
astronomy, dialectics, philosophy, and politics.
Plato was joined by other well known philosophers
at the academy, including Aristotle before he
founded his own Academy after he had a falling out
with Plato's philosophies. While initially the
academy functioned as a school that taught Plato's
philosophies about the natural world, this
changed by the mid-3rd century BCE.

Archaeological Remains of Plato's Academy in Athens
In 86 BCE, the school itself was destroyed in a fire that
likely occurred during Athens' siege. The Academy
proved impossible to reconstruct; however, teaching
resumed in Athens by 84 BCE in Ptolemy's gymnasium.
The teachings continued to thrive in the Roman Era, as
its teaching even influenced Roman officials and
others. By the 5th century CE, there was now a
movement to re-establish the Academy itself. Ass they
were called, the Neoplatonists established the new
Academy by 400-410 CE.

The Neoplatonists believed they were reviving Plato's
original ideas; however, they were now influenced
themselves by a wide variety of ideas, indicating that
there philosophy was not just one central theme.
Common beliefs of this new philosophy were that the
soul or person was a microcosm of the universe and
that this microcosm should strive to making the divine
and natural world work better. There are a series of
rituals that one goes through that help create a core
dedicated to a pure and ethical life that then brings us
closer to the divine nature of our existence. The One is
seen as the divine source where we must strive to
achieve understanding and unity with this source.

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Many of these ideas were influenced by Eastern
mysticism, which blended with emerging concepts of a
unified and single universe. This philosophy later
becomes very influential in the Medieval period as it
gets merged with Christian thinkers and philosophers.
Others within this school, however, did not ascribe to
all of this or even much of this philosophy, so it is
somewhat doubtful that the Neoplatonists were
actually one unified school of thought.

Nevertheless, the Neoplatonists' presence revived the
academy until the reign of Justinian I, who closed all
philosophical schools in 529 CE. Justinian believed the
philosophical schools, which had their origins in the
polytheistic past, were heretical and, therefore, must
be closed.

The philosophies of Platonism, however, did survive in
the East, as the Eastern Christians adopted many of the
philosopher refugees that left the Byzantine Empire
during the closure of the philosophical schools. This
eventually led these schools to influence the West
through the later Medieval period, when some of the
philosophies began to merge with
Christian thought through a reexamination
of the old Classical works.

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Legacy of the Academy

The legacy of the Academy was through the fact it was
the first known place where scholars could gather,
debate, discuss, and teach about the universe and its
understanding. The concept of higher learning was a
new idea when the Academy was established. This is
why, ultimately, the word academy is adopted in our
own vocabulary.

During the Renaissance, a revival of interest in Greek
philosophies, in general, led many to reexamine the old
texts and teachings of the Greek philosophers and the
academy. Some of the philosophies, such as
Neoplatonism, also influenced Christian and later
thought. The academy's concepts began to influence the
developing notion of science and philosophy in the West
in the late Medieval period. This led to the eventual
establishment of new or modern academies and
influenced universities' development in later periods.
Although the Academy itself went through different
philosophical leanings, the concept of gathering
scholars to debate, teach, and learn became a profound
influence on Western ideas of creating institutions of
higher learning and knowledge.

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QUOTATIONS by PLATO

“Be kind, for everyone you meet is
fighting a harder battle.”― Plato

“Every heart sings a song, incomplete, until another
heart whispers back. Those who wish to sing always
find a song. At the touch of a lover, everyone
becomes a poet.”― Plato

“I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and
that is that I know nothing.”― Plato, The Republic

“Never discourage anyone...who continually makes
progress, no matter how slow.”― Plato

“The measure of a man is what he does
with power.”― Plato

“Love is a serious mental disease.”
― Plato, Phaedrus

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QUOTATIONS by PLATO

“Those who tell the stories rule society.”
― Plato
“Human behavior flows from three main sources:
desire, emotion, and knowledge. ”
― Plato
“Necessity is the mother of invention.”― Plato
“The greatest wealth is to live content with little.”
― Plato
“Writing is the geometry of the soul. ”― Plato
“Any man may easily do harm, but not
every man can do good to another.”
― Plato

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The first university in the world. PLATONIC AKADEMIA

The Platonic Academy, or
simply, ”The Academy”, was a
famous school in ancient Athens
founded by Plato in 428/427
BC and located a couple of
miles outside the ancient city
named Akademeia, after the
legendary hero, Akademos.

“The School of Athens,” by Plato is the one figure who must
Raphael. Vatican Museums. receive the credit for giving
birth to this unique institution.
He inherited the land on which
the Academy was eventually
built, and began holding
informal gatherings there to
discuss philosophical issues
with some of his friends.

The site of the academy was
sacred to Athena and other
immortals and contained a
sacred grove of olive trees.
Plato possessed a small garden
there in which he opened a
school for those interested in
receiving his instruction.

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