Archaeologists in northern Greece have identified a royal gymnasium from the 4th century BCE as a possible site where Aristotle taught Alexander the Great and other Macedonian aristocrats. The discovery was made in Mieza, near present-day Naoussa in Central Macedonia, and includes study spaces, stone benches, styluses, and mosaics. The Greek Ministry of Culture states that these findings "strengthen the identification" of the site as the location of Aristotle's instruction, though the identification is not yet definitively proven. The site was previously thought to be an agora, a public marketplace, or a sanctuary of Asclepius, a Greek god of medicine. However, recent excavations led by archaeologist Angeliki Kottaridi have revealed it to be a gymnasium, a place for physical training and intellectual study. The complex includes a palaestra, a space for wrestling and exercise; a stadium; porticos, or covered walkways; hydraulic installations, such as water systems; and spaces for lessons. These features suggest that both intellectual education and physical exercise were emphasized at the site. A notable feature is a xystos, a long covered gallery used for exercise, measuring about 200 meters. In the eastern sector of the site, researchers have uncovered a tripartite building of over 160 square meters, consisting of a central vestibule flanked by two andrones, rooms used for male banquets. These rooms have mosaic-decorated floors and elevated platforms for beds, with each room potentially accommodating up to twenty participants. The design of these floors shows similarities to those found in the royal palace of Aigai, linking the establishment to the court of Philip II, Alexander’s father. Plutarch, in his Life of Alexander, mentions that Philip II brought Aristotle from Stagira to educate his son, and that the studies took place near Mieza, where stone seats and walks associated with Aristotle were still shown in his time. This historical reference supports the identification of the site. Researchers note that the establishment did not survive intact through the Roman expansion, with systematic dismantling of its buildings occurring after the upheavals that affected Macedonia in the 2nd century BCE, notably the defeat of Andriscus by Rome in 148 BCE. Despite this, walls, plaster, and several ancient floors remain, providing enough evidence to piece together the framework of the Macedonian elite's education. Specialists have varying opinions on the identification. Jeanne Reames from the University of Nebraska in Omaha finds the evidence convincing, while historian Miltiades Hatzopoulos calls for waiting for the detailed scientific publication of the data before considering the identification as definitively established.