Phlegon of Tralles(second century AD): Author of a history of the Olympic games from 776 BC to AD 140 and a work titled On Longevity, a catalogue of individuals who lived beyond the age of one hundred.
Phrynichus(fl. 434 BC): Athenian comic poet. Among the eleven titles of his plays that have come down to us, two (Connus and Revellers) are thought to have been the work of Ameipsias. Phrynichus earned accolades at the Lenaea and the City Dionysia, and was a contemporary of Aristophanes and Eupolis.
Phylarchus(third century BC): Greek historian whose major work, Histories, covered the period between 272 and 219 BC. He was often criticized for digressions and sensationalism. Only sixty fragments of his work remain.
Pisistratus(fl. 559 BC): Tyrant of Athens. Though ousted twice from power, he returned both times, supported by the Athenian poor who benefited from his programs. Diogenes quotes his letter to Solon, in which Pisistratus vows to do no harm to the exiled Solon if he returns to Athens (1.53–54).
Pittacus(c. 650–570 BC): Statesman and sage from Mytilene. He enacted a law that doubled the penalty if a perpetrator was drunk when committing the crime in question. Diogenes discusses his life and views at 1.74–81.
Plato(c. 429–347 BC): Founder of the Academy, follower of Socrates, and famed philosopher. His published writings were literary dialogues, in all but three of which Socrates appears as a character. He reputedly gave one unpublished but public lecture outside of the Academy, On the Good. The twentieth‐century philosopher Alfred North Whitehead once said that the history of European philosophy is just a series of footnotes to Plato. Diogenes devotes all of Book 3 to Plato’s life and views.
Plutarch of Chaeronea(before AD 50–after AD 120): Philosopher and biographer. Many of his works survive, preserved largely by Byzantine scholars, including the Parallel Lives of Greek and Roman statesmen and the philosophical and literary treatises collected under the title Moralia.
Polemon(fl. 314–270 BC): Head of the Academy from about 314 to 269 BC and teacher of Zeno. Diogenes discusses his life and views at 4.16–20.
Polycritus of Mende(dates unknown): Author of a work titled On Dionysius, which Diogenes cites in the life of Aeschines (2.63). Aristotle makes reference to a work of Polycritus regarding Sicilian affairs, which may be On Dionysius.
Polyeuctus(fourth century BC): Orator and contemporary of Demosthenes. According to Theophrastus, Polyeuctus claimed that Demosthenes was the greatest among orators, but Phocion was the most elegant, since he could express more in fewer words.
Posidippus(fl. c. 290 BC): New Comedy poet who is credited with introducing slave‐cooks as characters. The trope of the clever servant who sets in motion a complicated plot is now considered a typical feature of the New Comedy genre. Diogenes reports that some in antiquity attributed Philemon’s comedy Philosophers to Posidippus (7.27).
Posidonius of Apamea(c. 135–c. 51 BC): Historian, philosopher, and famous polymath who was educated in Athens. He founded a school in Rhodes that eventually became a center for Stoicism. He became influential in natural philosophy for his theory that tidal movements are based on lunar cycles.
Potamon of Alexandria(first century BC): Philosopher who attempted to combine Platonic, Peripatetic, and Stoic doctrines. He started the Eclectic school, but it is unclear whether he had any followers.
Praxiphanes(late fourth to mid‐third century BC): Peripatetic philosopher who is regarded as one of the founders of the study of grammar. He was a student of Theophrastus; Epicurus is said to have been one of his pupils.
Protagoras of Abdera(c. 490–420 BC): A renowned sophist and teacher of rhetoric. Protagoras traveled throughout the Hellenic world. He is famous for his saying that man is the measure of all things, a dictum that later acquired new meaning during the Renaissance. Plato offers a literary depiction of him in an eponymous dialogue. Diogenes discusses his life and views at 9.50–56.
Pseudo‐Aristippus:See Aristippus (or Pseudo‐Aristippus).
Pythagoras of Samos(fl. c. 530 BC): Philosopher and mathematician. He is credited with the discovery of harmonic ratios, as well as with the proof that Euclid presents at Elements 1.47, still known today as the Pythagorean theorem. The earliest surviving sources of ancient Pythagoreanism are the fragments of Philolaus. Diogenes discusses his life and views at 8.1–50.
Sabinus(first century AD): Scholar who wrote a commentary on Thucydides.
Satyrus(fl. third century BC): Peripatetic biographer and historian who wrote many accounts of kings, philosophers, and orators. He expanded the practice of biography to include celebrities of all types and was fond of highlighting their quirks.
Scythinus of Teos(fourth century BC): Author who wrote poetry and prose, including a history of Heracles’ deeds.
Seleucus of Alexandria(fl. first half of first century AD): Likely the Seleucus who wrote commentaries on a wide range of Greek poets, as well as works on Greek language and style. Diogenes refers to Seleucus as the author of a work titled On Philosophy (3.109).
Sextus Empiricus(fl. late second century AD): Pyrrhonist Skeptic philosopher and medical doctor. Sextus is one of the major sources for our understanding of ancient Skepticism, Stoic logic, and Hellenistic theories of knowledge. His two extant works are Outlines of Pyrrhonism and Against the Mathematicians.
Silenus(fl. third century BC): Scholar who wrote histories of Sicily and Rome that Cicero and Pliny later consulted. Hannibal of Carthage employed Silenus in the role of official historian during the Second Punic War with Rome.
Simonides(c. 556–468 BC): A Greek lyric poet famous for his elegiac verses, hymns, and victory odes. Memorial verses attributed to him were erected over the Greeks who died in the great battles of the Persian wars, including a celebrated couplet for the three hundred Spartans who fell at Thermopylae. Originally from Ceos, he lived at Athens during the Persian invasions and later immigrated to Sicily.
Socrates(469–399 BC): Athenian philosopher who attracted a following among young aristocratic men. His most famous admirer was Plato, who later composed dialogues in which Socrates was the main character. Socrates was indicted on charges of impiety (corrupting the youth and introducing new deities), and sentenced to death by hemlock poisoning. He is said to not have written anything, but Diogenes reports that while awaiting execution Socrates wrote a paean that began, “Hail Apollo of Delos, and Artemis, renowned siblings!” (see 2.42). Diogenes discusses his life and views at 2.18–47.
Solon(fl. c. 600 BC): Athenian politician and poet often counted among the Seven Sages. He implemented a new set of laws and organized Athenian citizens into four property‐holding classes. His maxim was: Nothing in excess. Diogenes discusses his life and views at 1.45–67.
Sophilus the Comic(c. fourth century BC): Middle Comedy poet who wrote for the Attic theater. Nine titles of his plays have come down to us. Diogenes quotes from his Wedding (2.120).
Sophocles(c. 497–c. 406 BC): Athenian tragic poet. He wrote over 120 plays, seven of which are extant. In his last competition at the City Dionysia in 406 BC, he outfitted his chorus and actors in mourning dress to honor the recent death of fellow tragedian Euripides. Among his most famous plays are Oedipus the King and Antigone. Diogenes quotes lines from one of his lost plays in the life of Aristippus (2.82).
Sosibius the Laconian(fl. mid‐third century BC): Grammarian conversant with Homeric problems and the history of Sparta.
Sosicrates of Rhodes(fl. mid‐second century BC): Historian who wrote several biographies of philosophers as well as a history of Crete. In his biographies he highlighted the relationships between teachers and students.
Sositheus(third century BC): One of seven tragic poets from Alexandria known as the Pleiad. Little of his work has survived.
Sotion of Alexandria(second century BC): Peripatetic historian of philosophy. He wrote a thirteen‐volume work called The Succession of the Philosophers. Sotion’s work served as a major source for Diogenes, as well as for the Christian theologians Theodoretus and Eusebius.
Speusippus(c. 407–339 BC): Philosopher who succeeded Plato, his uncle, as head of the Academy. Diogenes discusses Speusippus’ life and views at 4.1–5.
Sphaerus of Borysthenes(third century BC): Stoic philosopher who was a student of Zeno and Cleanthes. According to Cicero, he was particularly admired for his definitions. None of his works have survived. Diogenes discusses his life and views at 7.177–78.
Stesiclides of Athens(dates unknown): Author of List of Archons and Olympic Victors, which Diogenes cites in the life of Xenophon (2.56).
Telauges(fifth century BC): Son of Pythagoras who is said to have written a Letter to Philolaus. Though Diogenes has reason to suspect it is apocryphal, he mentions this letter more than once (8.53, 8.55, and 8.74). Even if it is a forgery, the letter documents a significant effort to associate Empedocles with Pythagoreanism.
Teleclides(fl. c. 445 BC): Athenian comic poet who won three victories at the City Dionysia. In his life of Socrates (2.18), Diogenes attributes lines to Aristophanes’ Clouds that do not actually appear in the play as we know it; it is thought that these lines may instead be from Teleclides’ Clouds.
Thales of Miletus(fl. 585 BC): Early natural philosopher traditionally counted among the Seven Sages. Aristotle deems him the first natural philosopher. He is known for the idea that water is the principle of all things, as well as for having predicted a solar eclipse. Diogenes discusses his life and views at 1.22–44.
Theaetetus(dates unknown): Greek poet. Six of his epigrams survive. Diogenes refers to him at 4.25 and 8.48. As far as is known, this is not the mathematician of the same name (who is mentioned at 2.29).
Theocritus of Chios(fourth century BC): Orator trained by Isocrates and renowned for his caustic wit. He traded insults with both Alexander the Great and Antigonus I, and was eventually executed by the latter. Ambryon is said to have written a work about him, On Theocritus (see 5.11).
Theodorus(dates unknown): Author of a treatise called On the Philosophic Schools (2.65). This Theodorus is not to be confused with the Cyrenaic philosopher whom Diogenes mentions in the life of Aristippus (see 2.98–104).
Theodorus the Atheist(c. 340–c. 250 BC): Student of Aristippus the Younger who later earned the ironic nickname God due to his well‐known rejection of the deities. Although aware of the ironic nickname, Diogenes often refers to him as “the Godless.” Diogenes cites Theodorus’ Against Epicurus (10.5), but Epicurus is said to have derived his own views on deities from Theodorus’ book On the Gods (2.97).
Theodosius(dates unknown): Author of Skeptic Chapters, in which he attempts to argue for a distinction between Skepticism proper and Pyrrhonism (see 9.70).
Theognis(b. 550/40 BC): Elegiac poet from Megara. Over a thousand lines of verse are preserved under his name, though some seem to be by other hands. Many of his verses deal with the pleasures of the symposium or his love for a boy named Cyrnus. Theognis is quoted in Epicurus’ Letter to Menoeceus (10.126).
Theophanes(dates unknown): Author of a work titled On Painting. Diogenes cites this work as attesting that there was an Ephesian painter named Theodorus (2.104).
Theophrastus(c. 372/70–c. 288/86 BC): Peripatetic philosopher and Aristotle’s successor as head of the Lyceum. It is thought that Aristotle assigned Theophrastus botanical investigations. Diogenes discusses his life and views at 5.36–57.
Theopompus(fl. 410–370 BC): Athenian comic poet. Ancient sources ascribe twenty‐four plays to him. His work survives only in fragments.
Theopompus of Chios(b. c. 378 BC): Rhetorician and historian who wrote a history of Philip II of Macedon. He was a student of Isocrates and was known for his admiration of Sparta. Theopompus was exiled for his Spartan sympathies but was later restored by Alexander.
Thrasybulus of Miletus(seventh century BC): Tyrant of Miletus and friend of Periander. Diogenes quotes a letter of his in the life of Periander (1.100).
Thrasyllus:See Claudius Thrasyllus.
Timaeus of Tauromenium(c. 350–260 BC): Historian and rhetorician best known for The Histories, a work in thirty‐eight books mainly concerned with Sicily. Around 315 BC he was exiled from his native island by the tyrant Agathocles, and later traveled to Athens where he studied with Philiscus of Miletus. This is not the Timaeus who appears in Plato’s dialogue of the same name.
Timocrates of Lampsacus(third century BC): Brother of the prominent Epicurean Metrodorus and himself a pupil of Epicurus for a brief time. He eventually renounced Epicurus’ teachings and criticized his way of life (see 10.6–8).
Timon of Phlius(c. 320–230 BC): Philosopher, tragedian, and student of Pyrrho the Skeptic. After living in poverty and working as a dancer, he sought out a philosophical life. His most famous work, the Lampoons, was a series of verses deriding individual philosophers. Diogenes discusses his life and views at 9.109–16.
Timonides(fourth century BC): Friend of Dion who supported the latter in the war waged to seize power from Dionysius II, tyrant of Syracuse. Diogenes reports that Timonides dedicated his chronicle of Dion and Bion’s adventures to Speusippus (see 4.5).
Timotheus the Athenian(dates unknown): Reputed author of a work called On Lives and unknown apart from Diogenes’ references to him. Diogenes cites Timotheus for his descriptions of various philosophers’ distinctive features, such as Zeno’s crooked neck, Aristotle’s lisp, and Speusippus’ decaying body.
Timotheus of Miletus(c. 450–357 BC): Dithyrambic poet and musical innovator. He was criticized for adding strings to the traditional Greek lyre. Diogenes quotes a passage from his Niobe in the life of Zeno (7.28).
Xanthus the Lydian(fifth century BC): Author from Sardis who composed a history of Lydia. He flourished during the same period as Herodotus, and ancient sources imply that Herodotus may have used Xanthus as a source for his own writings. Xanthus’ history of Lydia survives only in fragments.
Xenocrates(fourth century BC): Student of Plato who was head of the Academy from 339 to 314 BC. He was said to have been a man of kind and dignified character, and he served as ambassador to Antipater of Macedonia in 322 BC. Diogenes discusses his life and views at 4.6–15.
Xenophanes of Colophon(c. 570–c. 475 BC): Natural philosopher, poet, and theologian. He is noted for his critiques of Greek popular religion and the anthropomorphic conception of deities. Xenophanes is said to have composed the first satirical verses (Lampoons). His work survives only in fragments. Diogenes discusses his life and views at 9.18–20.
Xenophon of Erchia(c. 430–c. 354 BC): Greek historian and writer, and an associate of Socrates. Along with Plato and Aristophanes, Xenophon provides a contemporary account of Socrates. Among his most famous works are Anabasis, Symposium, and Memorabilia. Diogenes discusses his life and views at 2.48–59.
Zeno of Citium(335–263 BC): Founder of the Stoic school of philosophy, which received its name from the Painted Stoa (Stoa Poikile), where Zeno held his lectures. Diogenes discusses his life and views at 7.1–160.
Zeno of Elea(fl. early fifth century BC): Philosopher and companion of Parmenides. He is best known for putting forward a set of paradoxes about motion, such as one in which the swift‐footed Achilles can never overtake a tortoise in a footrace due to his inability to traverse an infinite number of points. Aristotle considered him the father of dialectic, and Plato portrays him in his dialogue Parmenides.
Zeno of Tarsus(late third and second centuries BC): Stoic philosopher and Chrysippus’ successor as head of the Stoa in 204 BC. An inspiring teacher with a large following, he was not a prolific writer.
Zenodotus the Stoic(c. fourth century BC): Stoic philosopher and student of Diogenes the Cynic. Diogenes quotes from him in the life of Zeno (7.30).
Zeuxis(first century BC): Skeptical philosopher, author of On Two‐Sided Arguments, and friend of Aenesidemus. This is not the ancient painter of the same name who engaged in a storied competition with the artist Parhassius.
Zoilus of Perga(dates unknown): Known only through Diogenes Laertius’ reference in the l
ife of Diogenes the Cynic (6.37).
Illustration Credits
viii The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles; digital image courtesy of the Getty’s Open Content Program.
xii The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1917.
xvi Copyright Lui Shtini; courtesy of the artist.
xviii The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; bequest of George D. Pratt, 1935.
2 The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rogers Fund, 1922.
9 Copyright Vanni Archive/Art Resource, New York.
11 The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; purchase, special contributions and funds given or bequeathed by friends of the Museum, 1961.
16 The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; gift of Mr. and Mrs. Klaus G. Perls, 1997.
19 Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.
21 Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide.
23 Copyright Alfredo Dagli Orti/Art Resource, New York.
25 Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.
27 The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles; digital image courtesy of the Getty’s Open Content Program.
31 Copyright DeA Picture Library/Art Resource, New York.
35 The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Elisha Whittelsey Collection, the Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1951.
38 Copyright the Trustees of the British Museum, London.
41 Copyright the Trustees of the British Museum, London.
42 The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; bequest of Phyllis Massar, 2011.
47 Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.
49 The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Bothmer Purchase Fund and Louis V. Bell Fund, 1997.
53 Image copyright Department of Photography, Uffizi Gallery, Florence.
58 The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles; digital image courtesy of the Getty’s Open Content Program.
60 Museo Nazionale Romano, Rome.
61 Copyright RMN‐Grand Palais/Art Resource, New York.
65 Copyright Album/Art Resource, New York.
Lives of the Eminent Philosophers Page 95
