Plato, for one, was an ancient Greek philosopher who lived in Athens during the 4th century BCE. He was a student of Socrates and is widely considered to be one of the most influential thinkers in Western philosophy. His given name was Aristocles, but he was known by his nickname, Plato, which means 'BROAD' in Greek. He founded the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. The 4-letter answer to the crossword clue is DANA, which is an alternate spelling of his given name, Aristocles. The 8-letter answer to the crossword clue is ATHENIAN, which refers to his place of residence.