It is widely believed that, in his later life, Plato must have undertaken some journeys to Italy, Egypt, Cyrene and Sicily. Speculated to have returned to the city of Athens at the age of 40, Plato founded on of the earliest known schools in the Western Civilization. The school was founded on a small plot of land and was called the Academy. It is believed that the school was named such because of the plot of land being owned by an Athenian named Academus. However, there also exists a legend which says that the school was named after an ancient Greek hero. The Academy operated until the year AD 529, when it was shut down by Justinian I because he saw it as a threat to the Christian religion. Many renowned scholars are said to have been educated at the Academy, the most famous one being the great ancient Greek philosopher, Aristotle.

All through his later life, Plato was heavily involved in the local politics of Syracuse. Diogenes notifies us that Plato first visited Syracuse while the city was being held by Dionysus. In his first visit itself, Dionysus’ brother-in-law, Dion of Syracuse, became Plato’s student. However, the tyrannical ruler himself went completely against Plato and opposed his ideologies. Plato was sold in the market as a slave and almost died before one of his ardent admirers bought him out of slavery and sent him back to Athens.

Eventually, after the tyrannical Dionysus died, the Dion of Syracuse asked Plato to visit again and educate Dionysus II to eventually become a philosophical ruler. Although Dionysus II accepted Plato’s ideologies initially, he started doubting his uncle, the Dion. Eventually, Dionysus II expelled his uncle from the city and kept Plato captive. However, Plato did manage to leave the city of Syracuse in the years that followed.

Description: In his later years, Plato is said to have traveled a lot. He started his own school of Philosophy, which was called the Academy, in Athens after he returned to the city after his many years of travel.