Editing Academus (section)

==Place origins==

Academus, the site, was sacred to [[Athena]], the goddess of [[wisdom]], and other immortals; it had since the [[Bronze Age]] sheltered her religious cult, which was perhaps associated with the hero-gods, the [[Dioscuri|Dioskouroi]] ([[Castor (mythology)|Castor]] and [[Pollux (mythology)|Polydeukes]]), and for the hero Akademos. By [[Classical antiquity|classical times]] the name of the place had evolved into the ''Akademeia''. It had also earlier been called ''Ecademia'' (Ἑκαδημία).<ref>[[Plutarch]], ''Theseus'' [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2008.01.0067%3Achapter%3D32 32]: "But Dicaearchus says that Echedemus and Marathus of Arcadia were in the army of the Tyndaridae at that time, from the first of whom the present Academy was named Echedemia, and from the other, the township of Marathon"</ref>

According to [[Plutarch]], [[Cimon]] converted this, "waterless and arid spot into a well watered grove, which he provided with clear running-tracks and shady walks".<ref>Plutarch, ''[[Cimon]]'' [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2008.01.0017%3Achapter%3D13%3Asection%3D813 § 8]</ref> Its [[sacred grove]] furnished the [[olive oil]] that was distributed as prizes in the [[Panathenaic Games]] and contained in the finely decorated [[Panathenaic amphora]]e presented to the winners.