Crates of Athens: The Final Scholarch of the Old Academy

Ideas & Philosophy · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Crates of Athens remains a shadowy figure in the history of philosophy, yet he held the prestigious title of the final scholarch of the Old Academy. As the devoted pupil and intimate companion of Polemo, his life offers a rare glimpse into the personal bonds that defined ancient intellectual circles.

Crates of Athens, who lived until his death between 268 and 264 BC, served as the last leader of the Old Academy, a position he assumed around 270–69 BC. He was the son of Antigenes of the Thriasian deme and is primarily remembered for his profound connection to his teacher, Polemo. Their relationship was so celebrated in the ancient world that the poet Antagoras composed an epigram honoring their bond, suggesting that the two men were eventually laid to rest together in a single tomb.

Despite his significant role in the lineage of Platonic thought, Crates is a figure whose own intellectual output has been entirely lost to time. While historical accounts from Diogenes Laërtius suggest he authored works on philosophical subjects and comedy, some scholars argue that certain orations attributed to him may have been written by a different individual, Crates of Tralles. This lack of primary texts makes it difficult to reconstruct his specific contributions to the evolution of the Academy.

The legacy of Crates is perhaps best understood through the notable students he mentored. Among his most distinguished pupils were Arcesilaus, who eventually succeeded him as the head of the Academy, as well as the provocative thinker Theodorus the Atheist and the philosopher Bion of Borysthenes. By bridging the gap between the era of Polemo and the subsequent shifts in Academic philosophy, Crates occupied a pivotal, if elusive, position in the history of Hellenistic thought, serving as a final link to the traditions established by Plato.

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