In the past, the suburb of Athens where the grove is located was called Akademia in honor of the Athenian hero Academus. Its current name is attributed to the place where Plato founded the Academy after his first journey to Sicily in 387 BC.
Many great scientists, with a focus on mathematics, studied at the Academy, such as Aristotle, Theodore of Cyrene, Leodamas of Thasius, The aititus of Athens, Eudoxus of Cnidius, Deinostratus and his brother Menaichmus from Proconnisos in Thrace, Euclid, Proclus and many others. According to the myth, Theseus had hidden Helen there; as it was considered a sacred place, the Spartans left it unharmed it when they invaded Attica in 413 BC. In 86 BC Leucius Cornelius Sulla laid siege to Athens, causing great destruction and plundering the Academy.
Currently, actions have been planned based on studies by the Municipality of Athens with regard to the regeneration and utilization of the archaeological site of the Platonic Academy and the grove in order to attract visitors.
