Archaeologists Discover Ancient School Linked to Aristotle and Alexander the Great
Archaeologists in Greece say they may have uncovered the ancient school where Aristotle taught a teenage Alexander the Great nearly 2,400 years ago.
The sprawling complex was discovered at ancient Mieza in northern Greece and dates back to the fourth century BC, during the reign of Alexander’s father, Philip II of Macedon.
Excavations at the site have revealed a large educational and athletic complex rather than a simple classroom. Archaeologists found a lecture hall with stone desks, a stadium, a sporting arena, a covered walkway and two banquet halls.
The banquet halls featured colorful mosaic floors and raised areas where couches were once placed. Researchers also uncovered coins, pottery and four writing styluses that would have been used by students.
Angeliki Kottaridi, the archaeologist leading the excavations, believes the site is the Royal Gymnasium where Aristotle taught Alexander and other young members of Macedonia’s elite.
Ancient sources had already linked Aristotle’s school to Mieza. Philip II invited the Greek philosopher around 343 BC to tutor his teenage son.
Alexander later became king of Macedonia and built an empire stretching from Greece to Egypt and India before his death at the age of 32.
The newly uncovered complex also shows architectural similarities to the royal palace at Aigai, where Alexander and his father lived.
Researchers have not found any inscription directly confirming that Aristotle taught in a specific room or that Alexander used any of the styluses discovered at the site.
However, the complex’s age, location, size and links to the Macedonian royal court have strengthened the case that archaeologists may have finally identified the school where Alexander the Great was educated.
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