The article presents the theoretical foundations for the physical and intellectual education of young people in Ancient Greece and demonstrates the views of Ancient Greek philosophers on physical and intellectual education in the context of the social life in Hellenistic Greece. It describes the way the idea of physical and intellectual education in Ancient Greek philosophy evolved, and the correlation of physical and intellectual development and their connections to spirituality. Moreover, this article demonstrates the process of the development of theories positively empirically verified and the directions of concept modification which did not pass the test of practical verification. The article pinpoints the meaning of the workings of Ancient Greek thought in the sphere of broadly-understood physical culture and intellectual education for the development of these areas of social life in the modern era, and provides insight into the heritage of classic philosophical thought in the science of intellectual education and the physical culture of the modern and the postmodern era.