Raphael, School of Athens, 1509-11. detail, Vatican Museums (10) (48759242951)

A figure identified as Euclid or Archimedes leans over a slate to demonstrate a geometric proof with a compass for a group of students. Behind him, Zoroaster holds a celestial globe and Ptolemy holds a terrestrial globe, while the philosopher Plotinus stands nearby in a red cloak. To the left, the Cynic philosopher Diogenes reclines on the stairs in isolation.

This grouping represents the mathematical and cosmological sciences—geometry, astronomy, and geography—as foundational components of the Neoplatonic intellectual hierarchy. The inclusion of Zoroaster reflects the Renaissance concept of 'prisca theologia', or the ancient wisdom that was thought to underpin the Western esoteric and philosophical tradition.