Epicurus' legacy: succession and continuity in the institutional history of the Athenian Garden

This dissertation explores the historical reality of the Epicurean school’s flagship Athenian community (the “Garden") as an intellectual institution. In particular, it investigates the philosophical and pragmatic considerations that determined the approach Epicurus and his successors adopted to the organisation and management of the school. It pursues this over-arching aim through a re-examination of the major known episodes in the history of the Athenian Garden, challenging the established scholarly readings of the evidence and offering original and innovative interpretations of their contents and significance from both a historical and a philosophical standpoint. The investigation covers all major known events in the institutional history of the Athenian Garden from Epicurus’ death in 270 B.C.E. to the latest substantial attestation of its continued activity (and flourishing as a result of direct imperial patronage) in 121 C.E.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

Doctoral

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

University of Cambridge

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Author dc:creator

• De Vita, Francesco Paolo

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Warren, James

• Classics
• Ancient Philosophy
• Epicurus
• Epicureanism
• Herculaneum Papyri

Licence

• https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/a6aa93b2-4704-477a-b9c7-ea37c26f2082/download
• http://purl.org/NET/rdflicense/allrightsreserved

Language dc:language

eng

DOI dc:identifier.doi

https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.121876

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.repository.cam.ac.uk:1810/390269