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Mieza (Náousa)
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Unless
otherwise indicated, pictures on this page © Marco Prins and Jona
Lendering. Photos can be downloaded and used for non-commercial purposes,
but you have to acknowledge
Livius. |
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The Greek author Plutarch
of Chaeronea, writing at the beginning of the second century CE, had
no doubts about it: as a boy, Alexander
the Great had been the student of Aristotle
of Stagira, the most famous philosopher of his age. The story, however,
is a bit too good to be true: |
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Aristotle (Archaeological
Museum, Palermo)
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As a place for the pursuit of their studies and exercise, [king]
Philip
II of Macedonia assigned the temple of the Nymphs, near Mieza, where,
to this very day, they show you Aristotle's stone seats, and the shady
walks which he was wont to frequent. It would appear that Alexander received
from him not only his doctrines of Morals and of Politics,
but also something of those more abstruse and profound theories which these
philosophers, by the very names they gave them, professed to reserve for
oral communication to the initiated, and did not allow many to become acquainted
with.
[Life of Alexander, 6]
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It is not very likely that the future world conqueror was really interested
in the more abstruse and profound theories, but there is no reason to doubt
that the great scientist was once Alexander's teacher. The shrine of the
Nymphs and the school of Aristotle have been identified by archaeologists;
they were situated in one of the most beautiful and green parts of Macedonia.
Mieza, today called Náousa, is now famous for its wine. |
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