 Cephisia had become a famous retreat of philosophers during the reign of the Roman emperor Hadrian, when the wealthy Herodes Atticus of Marathon built the Villa Cephisia.In his "Attic Nights", Aulus Gellius describes the unique ambiance of intellectual ferment and aristocratic leisure in an idyllic setting which he created there.It was also the practice of Herodes to provide free instruction in philosophy for selected youths from Athens.