Crates of Athens was a Greek philosopher of the Hellenistic period, active in the 4th and 3rd centuries BCE. He is historically significant as the third head, or scholarch, of the Peripatetic school, the philosophical institution founded by Aristotle. He assumed leadership around 288 BCE and held the position until his death around 268 BCE.

His tenure coincided with a difficult period for Athens, including the Chremonidean War, a failed revolt against Macedonian rule. According to modern scholars, this political instability negatively impacted the philosophical schools in the city. Crates's most notable contribution was as the teacher of Arcesilaus, who later became head of the Platonic Academy. This connection is seen as an important point of intellectual contact, where Peripatetic ideas may have influenced the development of Academic Skepticism.

No writings by Crates survive today. The single known title attributed to him is a lost work On Comedy. His primary historical importance lies in his institutional role of sustaining the Peripatetic school through a turbulent era and in his pedagogical influence on a major figure in another philosophical tradition.