Crates of Athens

Who was Crates of Athens?

Crates of Athens was the son of Antigenes of the Thriasian deme, the pupil and eromenos of Polemo, and his successor as scholarch of the Platonic Academy, in 270/69 BC. The intimate friendship of Crates and Polemo was celebrated in antiquity, and Diogenes Laërtius has preserved an epigram of the poet Antagoras, according to which the two friends were united after death in one tomb. The most distinguished of the pupils of Crates were the philosopher Arcesilaus, who succeeded him as scholarch, Theodorus the Atheist, and Bion of Borysthenes. The writings of Crates are lost. Diogenes Laërtius says that they were on philosophical subjects, on comedy, and also orations; but the latter were probably written by Crates of Tralles.