Athenæum

Athenæum (Gr. Athēnaion), originally a Temple of Athena (Lat. Minerva), afterwards a kind of college or institution for higher education. The first at Rome was that founded by the Emperor Hadrian about 133, for the study of poetry and rhetoric, with a regular staff of professors. It existed as the Schola Romana until the 5th century. Similar institutions flourished in the provinces also, as at Lyons and Nîmes. Theodosius II. founded one at Constantinople for the eastern world. In modern times the name has been revived as an appellation for certain literary institutions, as that at Marseilles, and also as a collective title for literary essays and reviews. The weekly journal of literature, science, and art, published in London under this name, is well known. It commenced in 1827. See CLUBS.