The Lyceum Of Aristotle, And The National Archaeological Museum

Quintus Curtius Travel & Exploration, , ,

Today I visited the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, as well as the historical site of Aristotle’s Lyceum.  The Lyceum was the place of origin of Aristotle’s Peripatetic school of philosophy, which took shape around 335 B.C.  Like the Platonic Academy, there is not much in the way of physical remains; but this did not matter to me at all.  Just to be able to stand on this ground was to me worth the effort in coming to Greece.  It was only discovered in 1996. How often do we read of Aristotle, and yet no one bothers to link a physical location to his memory?  This is why it was important for me to take these pictures, and show them to readers here.

In fact, it would not be an exaggeration to say that the Lyceum of Aristotle, and the Academy of Plato, are two of the most important physical sites in the entire history of mankind.  I mean every word of that last sentence.  The influence of these two names has been so profound, and so long-lasting, that it can barely even be measured.  Keep this in mind as you peruse the photos below.

 

I also spent some time at the National Archaeological Museum, and wanted to present the following photos with commentary.

A Mycenean bull. This technical masterpiece was located near the display case of the famous “Mask of Agamemnon.”

 

A famous bronze statue of Poseidon or Zeus, which originally had a spear in one hand.

 

Some of the most touching, and underrated, examples of Greek art are the funerary stele. Composed with great tenderness, they show the departed shaking hands with loved ones before being sent on their ‘journey.”

 

A beautiful statue of Aphrodite, showing her both as an object of desire and vulnerability.

 

Bronze statue of a youth. The eye inlays are still preserved.

 

This was my favorite bust in the museum. Note the melancholy expression, the furrowed brow, and the intense eyes. This is the face of a philosopher.

 

The same bust, but from a different angle.

 

The changing of the guard outside of the Parliament building. One of the soldiers wipes the face of another.

 

A warrior in an aggressive pose.

 

A strangely compelling bronze fragment of a statue of the Emperor Augustus, recovered from a shipwreck.

 

I like the design on this goblet.

 

A scowling, bearded visage.

 

A funerary stele showing an emotional scene of a mother saying farewell to her child.

 

One of the first known depictions in Greek art of a sphinx.

 

 

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