To the history of the study of athenian neoplatonism in modern historiography

Abstract

In the history of Late Antique thought and intellectual tradition, Athens occupies a special place as an intellectual and educational capital. The Athenian higher schools and intellectuals became the main stronghold of the Late Antique tradition, including the use of pagan religious practices in the Iamblichus version of Neoplatonism. This made Athens a stronghold of paganism until the end of the first third of the 6th century A. D. In modern foreign historiography, there is a keen interest in Late Antique intellectuals, in particular, in Athenian ones. Over the past quarter of a century, several monographs and a number of analytical articles have been published. In general, most scholars now recognize the important role of the Athenian philosophers of the early Byzantine period in the process of cultural continuity. On the other hand, the Athenian Iamblichus’ Neo-Platonism to the second half of 6th century A. D. descended from the historical scene, giving way to a more compromise Alexandrian.