Secular Pilgrimages
The Academy, Lyceum, and Stoa Poikile
I’m writing this while flying back to New York after having spent a few days in Athens, on the occasion of the annual Stoicon event, where I conducted a workshop on practical exercises in Stoicism. While there, my wife and I did what can only be described as the secular equivalent (neither of us is religious) of a pilgrimage. Three of them, in fact. I think it may be worthwhile to reflect on why we did it, and more in general on the meaning that these sorts of things add to our lives.
The three “Meccas” in question were the place were Plato established his Academy; the one were Aristotle, a bit later on, founded his Lyceum; and the location of the Stoa Poikile, or Painter Porch, the open space to the margin of the ancient Agora, where the Stoics used to preach their practical philosophy to whoever would listen.
Together with a friend, Jennifer and I first went to the Stoa Poikile, simply because of its proximity to the Agora, which we visited on that afternoon. A stoa is a columnated porch, a standard feature of pretty much any ancient Greek city. It was a multi-purpose structure, where people would gather to buy merchandise or just to hang around friends and acquaintances, discoursing of this and that. The term “poikile” means painted, because this particular Stoa in Athens was graced with a…
