Greece is the cradle of education as we know it. In honour of the heritage that Greece gave to the known world back then, from Northern Europe up to what is today Afghanistan, we name our school network the Moria Academia.

Academia, Lyceum and Lesvos

The Greek philosopher Plato founded the Academia in c.387 BC in Athens. Aristotle was his student for twenty years before he travelled to Lesvos. There, he founded a new school which shaped natural science up to this day. He later came back to Athens where he founded the Lyceum.

The island of Lesvos was the home of girl’s school of Sappho (c.630 – c.570 BC), one of the most famous women in Ancient times. During the Persian influence (546 – 480 BC), East and West cultures met on the island.

But it is one of Aristotle’s famous student, Alexander the Great (356 – 323 BC), that will bring Greek heritage and ideas throughout the Persian empire. His armies incorporated local populations as they went, including ancient Syrians, ancient Iranians etc. They went up to what is today Afghanistan, the Kingdom of Bactria. The area became a cultural centre where Greek, Buddhist and Indian ideas blended.

Cultural exchange in the Roman Empire

During the Roman Era, goods and ideas circulated from the Indo-Greek population in ancient Pakistan to the British Isles. Both Greece and Persia greatly influenced the Roman culture, which became prevalent around the Mediterranean.

Although Plato’s Academy was destroyed in the first century BC, philosophers continued to teach Platonism in Athens throughout the Roman Era. In the early 5th century AD, Plutarch and Neoplatonists brought an Academy back to life. The Neoplatonic Academy welcomed philosophers from all over the hellenistic cultural world, including Isidorus of Gaza and Damascius of Syria.

It became a rich centre of cultural exchange.

Discover more about our project: Moria Academia

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