The Greek philosopher who founded Epicureanism and established his school in a garden was Epicurus. Born on the island of Samos in 341 BC, he eventually settled in Athens and acquired a property known as the Garden around 307 or 306 BC.
Epicurus taught that the best life seeks stable pleasure rather than constant indulgence. He emphasized ataraxia, freedom from mental disturbance, and aponia, the absence of bodily pain. Friendship, modest desires, philosophical understanding, and freedom from fear—especially fear of the gods and death—were central to his ethics.
The Garden was a philosophical community where students studied, lived simply, and shared meals. Its name later became attached to the entire school. A common mistake is to treat “Epicurean” as a synonym for luxury or gourmet excess. Epicurus generally preferred simple food and argued that excessive desires create anxiety. His atomist view held that the universe consisted of atoms and void, while his later Roman transmitter Lucretius helped preserve and popularize Epicurean ideas.