In this paper I discuss the relationship between Cornelius Castoriadis and Ancient Greece by focusing on the meaning of tradition and on the possibility to produce new philosophical and political reflections through it. I analyze the general features of his reading and I argue that his interest also develops in many texts and forms. I distinguish different dimensions of this relationship, which does not concern only the analysis of Greek society but also that of philosophers and their works. I clarify that Castoriadis turns to ancient authors’ texts in order to philosophize through them and to develop his own thinking.