Posts by Eikadistes

This reminds me of The Peaceable Kingdom (1834), a painting by 19th-century American painter Edward Hicks. He painted over 60 versions of the same scene over a span of several decades. Without unpacking all of the symbolism, you'll notice the abundance of odd-looking, large felines. Despite the fact that it was painted less than 200 years ago by a modern artist, he had never seen a lion, so he painted large house cats.

Despite living around Philadelphia in the early 19th-century with all of its intellectual resources, despite living on a continent filled with other large felines, despite a huge number of historical advantages afforded to this modern figure, it was STILL an EASY mistake for an American painter to simply not have known what a lion looked like.

While it is the case that "we would deduce that MANY people, even if not 'historical figures,' were familiar with [lions] in an unbroken stream throughout history" it just so happened that right in the middle of a time period FULL of people who were familiar with lions, here's an famous painter in Philadelphia in the 19th-century who was so utterly unfamiliar with lions that he painted oversized house cats.

Generalized deduction is not enough. It's just circumstantial.

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Since this entire discussion is predicated on a physical piece of art, we are burdened with a necessity of finding more evidence in the form of other artifacts – rings, coins, stone inscriptions, busts, or portraits – to which Raphael would have had access.

Given the bearded figure's similarity to Epicurus in the fresco (to the immediate left of Plato), it seems highly likely that Raphael was familiar with Epicurus' bust, and transferred the face of that bust to this figure ... so it seems, anyway.

To which ring, coin, inscription, bust, portrait, or description did Raphael have access?

Suppose the possibility that Raphael wasn't intentionally referencing Epicurus; he was just re-producing the unlabelled bust of a Greek he saw. Not all of the figures are named. Raphael was a 25-year-old artist who did NOT spend his youth studying comparative Hellenistic philosophy. He was being paid by the Vatican Church to glorify the Eternal Divinity of Christ. This was a commissioned, Vatican project in the Apostolic palace, not Raphael's version of the Beatles cover of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, full of his favorite philosophers. Epicurus could have been featured accidentally.

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Even still, we're playing "Where's Waldo?" with a Renaissance fresco. This painting was not created so bishops could play "match-the-face-with-the-name" in the Apostolic Palace. It was created to glorify Jesus Christ and His Church.

Epicurus doesn't need to be in the painting; it doesn't support the overall message of the commission. Placing him there would have been a subversive choice of the artist. That's a hell of a bold statement for 1508. It was a bold statement for Sinéad O'Connor to have ripped the Pope's picture on Saturday Night Live in 1992. Like I said, it's like Rivera painting Lenin in the Rockefeller building. It begs more questions.

The Church has a history of destroying artwork (and artists) that didn't support their narrative, so why would Epicurus have been allowed on a wall in the Apostolic Palace?

Does anyone have a single source which mentions any historical figure who would have been familiar with Epicurean philosophy in the Late Middle Ages?

In the 13th century, Danté mentions contemporary "Epicureans" by reputation, but fails to name any Epicurean teachers or writers. Our next recorded mention of Epicurean philosophy is several hundred years later, at the beginning of the Renaissance.

All publicly-identifiable busts of Epicurus in the 21st-century were buried in the 16th.

If 25-year-old in Raphael DID put Epicurus in his fresco, then The School of Athens isn't simply commissioned, Vatican artwork, but a personal, Epicurean treasure. If this were the case, I would fully expect there to be other examples of Epicurean art to normalize Raphael's fresco as an example of a historical trend, rather than as a unique exception to the prevailing trend, that Epicurean philosophy was functionally neglected for 300 years.

From whom, specifically, might Raphael have seen the image?

I agree that it is a reasonable generalization to suppose that one of the hundreds of affluent, Italian benefactors of the Renaissance had access to Epicurus ... but it's hard to prove, especially when we consider that Epicurean literature was just re-discovered, and then proceeded to suffer several hundred years of misinterpretation by enthusiasts.

I think it's imperative to our conclusion that we identify the name of this individual who owned Epicurean memorabilia, because that person would be more significant to the history of Epicurean philosophy than either Poggio Bracciolini and Pierre Gassendi.

If someone had preserved a ring of Epicurus, and recognized the significance of it, they, themselves, would very likely be Epicurean-sympathizers, or Epicureans, themselves. Even Poggio was unconvinced by the the conclusions he read in De Rerum Natura. This would imply that a community was in Italy in the 15th-century that was actively dedicated to preserving Epicurean philosophy. This could be the case, but it would change history.

Even so, it's not even enough to prove that there were Epicureans in Italy at the time.

We need to demonstrate that (1) not only was Epicurean philosophy understood to a thorough level within one century of the rediscovery of De Rerum Natura (2) not only was Raphael familiar with this knowledge, but, most importantly, (3) that a 25-year-old Renaissance painter was dedicated enough to Epicurean philosophy to have chosen to risk his career by painting the Ultimate Anti-Apostle on a fresco in the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican. It's an incredibly bold move, and Raphael did not do it for our unique benefit.

Personally, I'm not convinced that any of the figures represent Epicurus.

Bernard Frischer, researcher and archaeologist from Indiana University who specializes in Roman history wrote a book called The Sculpted Word: Epicureanism and Philosophical Recruitment in Ancient Greece in which he attests to the “magnetism” of Epicurus’ portrait. He devotes several hundred pages to exploring different cultural depictions of Epicurus throughout history based on available resources. On page 151 he makes an important point: “Before 1742, when the Epicurus-Metrodorus double herm with ancient identifying inscription […] was discovered beneath the new porch of S. Maria Maggiore in Rome (the herm is now in the Capitoline Museam), Epicurus’ true image was not known.”

Raphael’s intended audience would not have seen portraits or busts of Epicurus, and, even if they had, they would not have recognized the face of the bust to match that of Epicurus. Painting a contemplative, bearded Greek would not have been as Epicurus-esque as would have painting a chubby, smirking Roman (for example).

The four Vatican frescoes were certainly painted within an allegorical context as opposed to a historical one. This is evidenced by the anachronistic presence of philosophers spanning several centuries, several of whom were never active in Athens. The setting of this piece is purely symbolic and not in any way intended to be literal.

It's like "Jurassic Park", filled with dinosaurs from the Triassic and Cretaceous periods.

In an architectural context, the four frescoes in the Stanze di Raffaello in the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican were designed to reinforce the Christian narrative. Therein, the inclusion of “pagan” philosophers is not meant to contrast with the divinity of Christ; rather, it signifies a harmony between ancient philosophy and Christian theology.

Thus, the Church's favorite two philosophers, and their supporters (such as Socratics and Pythagoreans) are featured front-and-center. The idolization of Plato and Aristotle is overwhelming. They reinforce the brand. The choice to include Epicurus – at all – would have been antithetical to the function of the painting, taken symbolically. While Raphael may have made that choice anyway, it is thematically inconsistent.

Painting Epicureans in the Apostolic Palace in the first place is contextually inappropriate (It may even have been dangerous). Raphael's inclusion of Epicurus and/or Epicurean philosophers in the Apostolic Palace may have been akin to Diego Rivera painting Vladimir Lenin in the Rockefeller Building in the 30s.

If it were the case that we had some indication that Raphael was a closet Epicurean who subversively hid hedonist-sympathizing clues in his paintings throughout the years (...the way Dan Brown frames Leonardo in the Da Vinci code), then, in my mind, it would seem appropriate to include Epicurus.

However, I think that fiction unlikely. I think the following two possibilities are most probable: (1) Epicureanism is not represented in this painting because Epicureanism is thematically inconsistent with the artistic context, (2) "Epicurus" is represented by the anonymous, chubby, smiling Roman stereotype, writing in the front.

Either way, the relevance I see with this painting to Epicurean philosophy is the reflection of the Christian Church's marginalization of materialism over a millennia. Raphael neither provides us with a glimpse at Epicurus, nor of Epicureanism. What he provides us with is either commentary of ambivalence, that it was not necessary to depict Epicureans clearly, or absence, that omitting Epicurus was necessary.

In conclusion, I don't see any compelling reason for Raphael would have felt compelled to include the Epicurus and his Epicureans. He was not painting a record of Athenian teachers; he was painting a picture of philosophical pre-Christians.

If there's one thing I've learned from this discussion, it's that the medieval world and its inhabitants were utterly revolted, intimidated, and threatened by Epicurean philosophy, and they did everything that was humanly possible to erase his legacy from history.

And yet, here we are.

The abstract beings with a completely FALSE statement: "The well-known and controversial thesis that <<all perceptions are true>> is endorsed by all Epicureans."

This point is HEAVILY contradicted throughout DeWitt's Epicurus and His Philosophy:

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"The fallacy consists in classifying Epicurus as an empiricist in the modern sense; he never declared sensation to be the source of knowledge; much less did he declare all sensations to be trustworthy." (7)

"The fallacy that Epicurus declared all sensations to be true and hence trustworthy still flourished." (24)

"When modern scholars seize upon the saying 'all sensations are true,' which appears nowhere in the extant writing of Epicurus, and stretch it to mean that all sensations are reliable or trustworthy or 'that the senses cannot be deceived,' they are confusing the concept of truth with the concept of value" [...] To assume that Epicurus was unaware of these plain truths, as one must if belief in the infallibility of sensation is impute to him, is absurd. It is because he was aware that the value of sensations, apart from their truth, varied all the way from totality to zero, that he exhorted beginners 'under all circumstances to watch the sensations and especially the immediate perceptions whether of the intellect or any of the criteria whatsoever. Obviously, so far from thinking the sensations infallible, he was keenly aware of the possibility of error and drew sharp attention to the super values of immediate sensations" (139)

"This makes it plain once more that not all sensations are true but the validity of some must be checked by the evidence of others." (150)

Unanswered Questions (an on-going post):

1. Is "Theophilia" – a purported, Epicurean philsopher from Gilles Ménage's History of Women Philosophers – a distinct, historical personality? Or is "Theophilia" a linguistic corruption of either "Themista" or "Demetria"?

answer: YES. Gilles Ménage verified that the Epicurean philosopher "Theophilia" is a distinct historical figure from "Demetria" based on a document to which he had access, written by the Roman poet Marcus Valerius Martialis (38/41 – 102/4 CE). Additionally, Ménage identifies them as being distinct by listing "Themist[a]" immediately before "Theophilia". While the proposition that many of the Epicurean courtesans were inventions by detractors holds merit, their attestation in literature by contemporaries is enough to accept their historical existence unless otherwise contradicted. Herein, both "Theophilia" and "Demetria" have been added to the original post.

2. Is the "Herodotus" mentioned in Norman DeWitt's Epicurus and His Philosophy – the wayward Epicurean who turned away from Epicurus' teachings with Timocrates – the same "Herodotus" to whom Epicurus sent his famous letter on physics?

3. What levels of marginalization and persecution did Epicureans face between the 5th and 13th centuries CE? In weeks of research, I have not identified a single Epicurean philosopher, follower, or patron between the years 400 and 1200. Were there Epicureans in the Persian and Arabian worlds during the European Dark Ages? Do we have Islamic sources of Epicureanism? Was a globally-popular, living moral system truly "lost" for 800 years? If so, how?

answer: Epicureanism was neither "lost", nor was Epicurus "forgotten." Epicurus' history and his teachings were obscured by ideological opponents and neglected by the masses. (Existing sources of Epicurean philosophy are not preserved in Arabic through Islamic sources; our sources come from European scholars who preserved these texts.) Instead being "forgotten", Epicureanism was re-branded and its founder's reputation was distorted. Academic and Peripatetic philosophies were useful to the dominant political authority; Epicurean philosophy was antithetical. Thus, Epicurus was re-written as an unworthy buffoon and his philosophy was re-branded as being evil. For the same reason that the Christian tradition enjoyed near-universal popularity, Epicureanism suffered ubiquitous scorn.

In Epicurus and His Philosophy, DeWitt proposes a date of February 7th:

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"The relevant dates are known with a precision that is uncommon in the lives of great men of ancient times. He was born of Athenian parents on the island of Samos in early February of the year 341 B.C." (36)

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"At any rate [...] the date was fixed, not for the anniversary day of his birth, which fell on the seventh, but at the twentieth, the day that marked the final initiations at Eleusis. The twentieth was also sacred to Apollo, which gave it an additional sanctity. Such notoriety eventually attached itself to these monthly memorial gatherings that Epicureans were dubbed 'Twentyers' by way of derision" (51-52)

Quote from Cassius

Nate from what is that a screen clip?

The most recent one is from a book written by Gilles Ménage identifying ancient female philosophers (I'm using those as placeholders to upload more documents I find as I go back-and-forth, editing). This is a particularly interesting case: the author identifies three female Epicurean philosophers by name: Lention (having authored literature and being widely attested), Themista (attested by many, many others), and Theophilia who is ONLY attested by Ménage (per that screenshot). I've been debating whether or not "Theophilia" is a corruption of "Demetria" or perhaps "Themista" (both names alluding to deities) or whether they are different individuals, altogether. As of now, I have to assume so. I have a number of questions about Theophilia, so that shot is just a reminder to keep investigating those questions.

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"I have a great tenderness for [Heraclitus] and of the ancients I only prefer Aristotle more. The later philosopher – Epicurus (especially this one) [...] I've made an object of special study, but more out of [...] than philosophical interest" (Marx, Doctoral Thesis)

I've attached some documents that were helpful in identifying Epicureans.

EPICUREAN PHILOSOPHERS

[T]here are plenty of witnesses of the unsurpassable kindness of [Epicurus] to everybody; both his own country which honored him with brazen statues, and his friends who were so numerous that they could not be contained in whole cities; and all his acquaintances who were bound to him by nothing but the charms of his doctrine […] Also, the perpetual succession of his school, which, when every other school decayed, continued without any falling off, and produced a countless number of philosophers, succeeding one another without any interruption. (Diogenes Laërtius, The Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers, Book X)

387 BCE: Plato founds his Academy.

384 BCE: Aristotle is born in the Central Macedonian city of Stagira.

348 BCE: Plato dies at the age of 80 due to natural causes.

341 BCE: Epicurus is born on the Island of Samos.

338 BCE: Aristotle begins three years of teaching 13-year-old Alexander III of Macedon.

334 BCE: Aristotle founds his Lyceum at the age of 50.

327 BCE: A 14-year-old Epicurus is tutored by a Platonic philosopher named Pamphilus

326 BCE: Alexander III of Macedon invades India; 34-year old Pyrrho follows. As a result …

325 BCE: Pyrrho adopts the 200-year-old agnostic Indian school of Ajñāna and develops Skepticism

323 BCE: An 18-year-old Epicurus serves two years of required Athenian conscription

322 BCE: Aristotle dies at the age of 62 due to natural causes.

321 BCE: A 20-year-old Epicurus moves with family to Colophon and studies under the Peripatetic Praxiphanes; he later studies under Nausiphanes of Teos, a Democritean pupil of Pyrrho

316 BCE: A 25-year-old Epicurus observes Halley's Comet with Nausiphanes

311 BCE: A 30-year-old Epicurus begins teaching in Mytilene on the island of Lesbos

310 BCE: A 31-year-old Epicurus relocates Northward to Lampsacus on the mainland

309 BCE: A 32-year-old Epicurus directly witnesses a Total Solar Eclipse

306 BCE: A 35-year-old Epicurus moves to Athens and establishes the Garden

HEGEMON – HΓEMΩN – /hɛːɡe.'mɔːn/ – “Leader” of the Epicurean Community

Hegemon: EPICURUS* of SAMOS (c. 23-24th January 341 BCE – 270/69 BCE) founder of Epicureanism

KATHEGEMONES – KAΘHΓEMΩNHΣ – /ka.tʰɛːɡe.'mɔːniːz/ – “Guides” with the Hegemon

Kathegemon: POLYAENUS* of LAMPSACUS (c. 345 – 286 BCE)

Kathegemon: METRODORUS* of LAMPSACUS (c. 331/0 – 278/7 BCE)

Kathegemon: HERMARCHUS* of MYTILENE (c. 325 – 250 BCE)

*The founder and his closest three allies are called HOI ANDRES – OI ANΔPEΣ – "The Men"

DIADOCHOI – ΔIAΔOXOI – /diː'a.dɔːkʰoi̯/ – “Succession” of Epicurean Scholarchs

Scholarch (1st): HERMARCHUS* (c. 325 – 250 BCE) Scholarch from 270 to 250 BCE

Scholarch (2nd): POLYSTRATUS (c. 300 – 219/8 BCE) from 250 to 219/8 BCE

NOTE: Scholarchs after Polystratus will NOT have personally known Epicurus.

Scholarch (3rd): DIONYSIUS of LAMPTRAI (c. 280 – 205 BCE) from 219/8 to 205 BCE

Scholarch (4th): BASILIDES of TYRUS (c. 245 – 175 BCE) from 205 to 175 BCE

Scholarch (5th): PROTARCHUS of BARGHILIA (c. 225 – 150 BCE) from 175 to 150 BCE

Scholarch (6th): APOLLODORUS of ATHENS (c. 200 – 125 BCE) from 147 to 125 BCE

Scholarch (7th): ZENO of SIDON (c. 166 – 75 BCE) Scholarch from 125 to 75 BCE

Scholarch (8th): PHAEDRUS (c. 138 – 70/69 BCE) Scholarch from 75 to 70/69 BCE

Scholarch (9th): PATRO (c. 100 – 25 BCE) Scholarch from 70/69 to 51 BCE

In A.D. 121 the then incumbent, Popillius Theotimus, appealed to Plotina, widow of the emperor Trajan and a devoted adherent, to intercede with Hadrian for relief from a requirement that the head should be a Roman citizen, which had resulted in unfortunate choices. The petition was granted and acknowledged with all the gratitude that was proper to the sect. (De Witt, Epicurus and His Philosophy 332)

Scholarch (16ish): POPILLIUS THEOTIMUS (early 2nd-century CE)

Scholarch (17ish): HELIODORUS (2nd-century CE) Hadrian writes him.

"Later in the century it is on record that the school became a beneficiary of the bounty of Marcus Aurelius [161-180 CE], who bestowed a stipend of 10,000 drachmas per annum upon the heads of all the recognized schools" (De Witt, Epicurus and His Philosophy 332)

KATHEGETES – KAΘHΓHTEΣ – /ka.tʰɛːgɛː'tʰiːz/ – "Down from the Guides" or Teachers

Kathegete: ARISTOBULUS of SAMOS (4th – 3rd-century BCE) brother of Epicurus

Kathegete: CHAERDEMUS of SAMOS (4th – 3rd-century BCE) brother of Epicurus

Kathegete: NEOCLES of SAMOS (4th – 3rd-century BCE) another brother of Epicurus

GNORIMOI – ΓNΩPIMOI – /gnɔːriː'moi̯/ – "Known Familiars" or Disciples

APELLES (4th – 3rd-century BCE) the recipient of one of Epicurus' many epistles

APOLLODORUS of LAMPSACUS (4th – 3rd-century BCE ) the brother of Leonteus

BATIS of LAMPSACUS (4th – 3rd-century BCE) Idomeneus' wife and Metrodorus' sister

BOIDION (4th – 3rd-century BCE) "calf-eyes" hetaera who studied at the Garden

CALLISTRATUS (4th – 3rd-century BCE) fragmentary attestation

CARNEISCUS of LAMPSACUS (4th – 3rd-century BCE) dedicated a book on the death to Philainis

COLOTES of LAMPSACUS (c. 320 – 268 BCE) a popular Greek writer known for satire

CRONIUS of LAMPSACUS (4th – 3rd-century BCE) a former student of the Pythagorean Eudoxus

CTESSIPUS (4th – 3rd-century BCE) attested in a letter fragment written by Epicurus

DEMELATA (4th – 3rd-century BCE) attested by Philodemus

DEMETRIA (4th – 3rd-century BCE) a companion to Hermarchus

EROTION (4th – 3rd-century BCE) "lovely" hetaera who studied at the Garden

EUDEMUS (4th – 3rd-century BCE) mentioned in a letter written by Epicurus

HEDEIA (3rd-century BCE) "delectable" companion to Polyaenus

HIPPOCLIDES of LAMPSACUS (c. 300 – 219/8 BCE) born on the same day as Polystratus

IDOMENEUS of LAMPSACUS (c. 310 – 270 BCE) the main financier of the Garden

LEONTEUS of LAMPSACUS (4th – 3rd-century BCE) the husband of Themista

LEONTION (4th – 3rd-century BCE) "lioness", a respected writer and companion to Metrodorus

LYCOPHRON (4th – 3rd-century BCE) a correspondent of Leonteus of Lampsacus

MAMMARION (3rd-century BCE) "tits", a possible lover to Leonteus

MENESTRATUS (4th – 3rd-century BCE) pupil of Metrodorus

MENOECEUS of LAMPSACUS (4th – 3rd-century BCE) recipient of Epicurus' Letter to Menoeceus

MENTORIDES of LAMPSACUS (4th – 3rd-century BCE) the eldest brother of Metrodorus

MYS (4th – 3rd-century BCE) "mouse" a male slave granted his freedom who managed publishing

NICANOR (4th – 3rd-century BCE) student of Epicurus attested by Diogenes Laërtius

NIKIDION (4th – 3rd-century BCE "victress" possible lover to Idomeneus

PHILAINIS (4th – 3rd-century BCE) attested by Philodemus

PHILISTAS of LAMPSACUS (4th – 3rd-century BCE) inspired Carneiscus to write

PYTHOCLES of LAMPSACUS (c. 324 — 3rd-century BCE) recipient of Epicurus' Letter to Pythocles

THEMISTA of LAMPSACUS (4th – 3rd-century BCE) wife of Leonteus

THEOPHILIA (4th – 3rd-century BCE) attested by 1st-century Roman poet Martial

HELLENIC PHILOI – ΦIΛΩI – /'pʰi.loi̯/ – "Friends" or Associates

ANAXARCHUS (4th – 3rd-century BCE) fragmentary attestation

ARCHEPHON (4th – 3rd-century BCE) fragmentary attestation

CHARMIDES (4th – 3rd-century BCE) a friend of Arcesilaus the Academic Skeptic

DOSITHEUS (4th – 3rd-century BCE) the father of Hegesianax

ERASISTRATUS of CHIOS (c. 304 – 250 BCE) of the Alexandrian school of medicine

ZOPYRUS (4th – 3rd-century BCE) fragmentary attestation

ALEXANDRIA the ATOMIST (3rd-century BCE) associated with Alexandria

ANTIDORUS THE EPICUREAN (3rd-century BCE) who wrote a work against Heraclides

APOLLONIDES (3rd-century BCE) fragmentary attestation

APOLLODORUS the EPICUREAN (3rd-century BCE) a pupil of Polystratus

ARTEMON of LAODICEA (3rd-century BCE) one of several teachers of Philonides

AUTODORUS the EPICUREAN (3rd-century BCE) criticizes Heraclides in his treatise On Justice

CINEAS the EPICUREAN (3rd-century BCE) advised King Pyrrhus of Epirus (Plutarch)

DIODORUS (3rd-century BCE) fragmentary attestation

DIOTIMUS OF SEMACHIDES (3rd-century BCE) a pupil of Polystratus

EUGATHES (3rd-century BCE) fragmentary attestation

EUPHRONIUS (3rd-century BCE) ridiculed by Plutarch; possible contemporary of Aelian

HEGESIANAX (3rd-century BCE) son of Dositheus

HERMOCRATES (3rd-century BCE) who proposed natural explanation for prayer

PYRSON (3rd-century BCE) fragmentary attestation

THEOPHEIDES (3rd-century BCE) a friend of Hermarchus from whom he received a letter

ANTIPHANES (3rd – 2nd-century BCE) fragmentary attestation

ANTIOCHUS IV EPIPHANES (c. 3rd-century – 164 BCE) king and student to Philonides

ARISTONYMUS (3rd – 2nd-century BCE) a friend of Dionysius

DIOGENES of SELEUCIA (c. 3rd-century – 146 BCE) was put to death by Antiochus VI Dionysus

HELIODORUS OF ANTIOCH (3rd – 2nd-century BCE) a senior official in the court of Seleucus IV

ALCAEUS (2nd-century BCE) Sent and expelled from Rome with Philiscus in 154 BCE

CEPHISOPHON (2nd-century BCE) fragmentary attestation

DAMOPHANES (2nd-century BCE) fragmentary attestation

DEMETRIUS I SOTER (c. 185 – 150 BCE) a rule of the Seleucid Empire and student to Philonides

EUCRATIDES of RHODES (2nd-century BCE) was known only by his gravestone

HERACLITUS of RHODIAPOLIS (2nd-century BCE) Physician connected with the Athenian school

IOLAUS OF BITHYNIA (2nd-century BCE) a physician associated with Epicureanism

NICASICRATES of RHODES (2nd-century BCE) was called as a "dissident" by Philodemus

PHILISCUS (2nd-century BCE) Sent and expelled from Rome with Alcaeus in 154 BCE

PHILONIDES of LAODICEA (c. 200 – 130 BCE) Founded school in Antioch

THESPIS the EPICUREAN (2nd-century BCE) student of Scholarch Basilides; taught Philodemus

TIMASAGORAS of RHODES (2nd-century BCE) was called as a "dissident" by Philodemus

ATHENAEUS (2nd – 1st-century BCE) a pupil of Polyaenus of Lampsacus

ATHENAGORAS (2nd – 1st-century BCE) fragmentary attestation

ASCLEPIADES of BITHYNIA (124 – 40 BCE) Physician with atomic drug theory

IRENAEUS OF MILETUS (2nd – 1st-century BCE) a pupil of Demetrius Lacon

PHILODEMUS of GADARA (c. 110 – 30 BCE) manuscripts preserved in Herculaneum

ANTIGENES (1st-century BCE) friend of Philodemus

ANTIPATER (1st-century BCE) fragmentary attestation

APOLLOPHANES of PERGAMUM (1st-century BCE) sent to Rome to teach

BACCHUS (1st-century BCE) fragmentary attestation

BROMIUS (1st-century BCE) peer to Philodemus; Zeno of Sidon's pupil

DEMETRIUS LACON (1st-century BCE) Founded Milesian school; taught Philodemus

DIOGENES of TARSUS (1st-century BCE) travels with Plutiades of Tarsus

EGNATIUS (1st-century BCE) fragmentary attestation

LYSIAS of TARSUS (1st-century BCE) Tyrant of Tarsus who butchered the wealthy

ORION the EPICUREAN (1st-century BCE) Epicurean "notable" per Laërtius

PLATO OF SARDIS (1st-century BCE) fragmentary attestation

PLUTIADES of TARSUS (1st-century BCE) travels with Diogenes of Tarsus

PTOLEMEUS the BLACK of ALEXANDRIA (1st-century BCE) "notable" per Laërtius

PTOLEMEUS the WHITE of ALEXANDRIA (1st-century BCE) "notable" per Laërtius

TIMAGORAS (1st-century BCE) attested by Cicero

ARTEMIDORUS OF PARIUM (1st-century BCE/CE) fragmentary attestation

ATHENODORUS (1st-century CE) fragmentary attestation

ATHENODORUS OF ATHENS (1st-century CE) fragmentary attestation

AMYNIAS of SAMOS (1st-century CE) only known due to a stone inscription

BOETHUS OF SIDON (1st-century CE) an acquaintance of Plutarch

DIONYSIUS OF RHODES (1st-century CE) a friend of Diogenes of Oenoanda

MENNEAS (1st-century CE) fragmentary attestation

POLLIUS FELIX (1st-century CE) a patron of the poet Statius

THEODORIDAS OF LINDUS (1st-century CE) an acquaintance of Diogenes of Oenoanda

XENOCLES OF DELPHI (1st-century CE) an acquaintance of Plutarch

XENOCRITOS (1st-century CE) known only from a stone inscription

EPICURIUS (1st – 2nd-century CE) a philosopher attested by the Middle Platonist Plutarch

CELSUS [1] the EPICUREAN (2nd-century CE) a friend of Lucian of Samosata

CELSUS [2] the EPICUREAN (2nd-century CE) a Greek opponent to the Christian church

DIOCLES the EPICUREAN (2nd-century CE) a Greek opponent to the Christian church

DIOGENES of OENOANDA (2nd-century CE) posted Epicurean teachings on a 205-ft. wall

DIOGENIANUS (2nd-century CE) who wrote a polemic against Chrysippus

HERACLITUS of RHODIAPOLIS (2nd-century CE) known from a stone inscription

LUCIAN OF SAMOSATA (c. 125 – 180 CE) a Syrian satirist who ridiculed the supernatural

NICERATUS of RHODES (2nd-century CE) a close friend of Diogenes of Oenoanda

PHILIDAS HERACLEONOS of DIDYMA (2nd-century CE) known from a stone inscription

ZENOCRATES THE EPICUREAN (2nd – 3rd-century CE) a hedonist from Alciphron's letters

EXUPERANTIA (3rd – 4th-century CE) the wife of Heraclamon Leonides

HERACLAMON LEONIDES (3rd – 4th-century CE) the husband of Exuperantia

ROMAN AMICI – AMICI – /a'miːkiː / – "Friends" or "Associates"

ANTONIUS (2nd-century BCE) Exchanged views with Galen on medical matters.

GAIUS AMAFINIUS (late 2nd-century BCE) among the first Epicureans to write in Latin

RABIRIUS (late 2nd-century BCE) among the first Epicureans to write in Latin

TITUS ALBUCIUS (late 2nd-century BCE) studied in Athens; passed teachings to Rome

AULUS TORQUATUS (2nd – 1st-century BCE) a relative of L. Manlius and possible Epicurean

CATIUS INSUBER (c. 2nd-century – 45 BCE) popular Celtic author from Northern Italy

LUCIUS CORNELIUS SISENNA (2nd – 1st-century BCE) a historian and “inconsistent” Epicurean

LUCIUS MANLIUS TORQUATUS (2nd-century – 46 BCE) a friend of Cicero; AGAINST Julius Caesar

NERO THE EPICUREAN (2nd – 1st-century BCE) fragmentary attestation

TITUS POMPONIUS ATTICUS (110 – 32 BCE) Close friend of Cicero; wisely apolitical

ANTHIS (1st-century BCE) a freedwoman of Calpurnia Caesaris who named her son “Mr. 20th”

AURELIUS OPILIUS (1st-century BCE) Freedman who retired to Mytilene

DION (1st-century BCE) A philosopher for whom Cicero had no regard and little respect

LUCIUS AUFIDIUS BASSUS (1st-century BCE) Used philosophy to deal with a chronic illness

LUCIUS CORNELIUS BALBUS (1st-century BCE) a friend of Cicero

LUCIUS LUCCESIUS (1st-century BCE) a friend of Cicero

LUCIUS PAPIRIUS PAETUS (1st-century BCE) good friends with Cicero

LUCIUS SAUFEIUS (1st-century BCE) Friend of Cicero and Atticus; seemingly apolitical

LUCIUS VARIUS RUFUS (1st-century BCE) Roman poet and associate of Virgil

MARCUS FADIUS GALLUS (1st-century BCE) a friend of Cicero who wrote against Julius Caesar

MARCUS POMPILIUS ANDRONICUS (1st-century BCE) correspondent with Cicero

MARCUS VALERIUS MESSALLA CORVINUS (1st-century BCE) a friend of Horace

MARIUS the EPICUREAN (1st-century BCE) a friend of Cicero and subject of a text

MATIUS the EPICUREAN (1st-century BCE) a friend of Cicero known for defying anti-Caesarists

PLAUTIUS TUCCA (1st-century BCE) Roman poet and associate of Virgil

PUBLIUS CORNELIUS DOLABELLA (1st-century BCE) Senate declared him an “enemy of the State”

PUBLIUS VOLUMNIUS ETRAPELUS (1st-century BCE) fragmentary attestation

SIRO (1st-century BCE) Pupil of Zeno of Sidon; taught Virgil; founded the school in Naples

STATILIUS the EPICUREAN (1st-century BCE) a friend of Cicero who argued against Civil War

TREBIANUS (1st-century BCE) fragmentary attestation

VELLEIUS the EPICUREAN (1st-century BCE) a friend of Cicero who supported Epicurean theology

LUCIUS CALPURNIUS PISO CAESONINUS (c. 100 – 43 BCE) friend of Cicero; Caesar's father-in-law

TITUS LUCRETIUS CARUS (99 – 55 BCE) writes De Rerum Natura

GAIUS VIBIUS PANSA CAETRONIANUS (c. 90s – 43 BCE) Friend of Cicero; Friend of Julius Caesar

AULUS HIRTIUS (c. 90 – 43 BCE) a friend of Cicero and former lobbyist against Caesar

GAIUS CASSIUS LONGINUS (86 – 42 BCE) a friend of Cicero and conspirator against Caesar

CAIUS TREBATIUS TESTA (84 BCE – 4 CE) a friend of Cicero who supported Julius Caesar

CALPURNIA CAESARIS (c. 75 BCE – 00s BCE) Daughter of Piso

PUBLIUS VIRGILIUS MARO (70 – 19 BCE) student of Siro at the Garden of Naples

GAIUS CILNIUS MAECENAS (70 – 8 BCE) political advisor to Octavian/Augustus

QUINTUS HORACE HORATIUS FLACCUS (65 – 8 BCE) Coined carpe diem or "seize the day!"

CAIUS STALLIUS HAURANUS (1st-century BCE – 1st-century CE) a student in Naples

LUCIUS CALPURNIUS PISO PONTIFEX (48 BCE – 32 CE) the son of Piso Caesoninus

PUBLIUS QUINTILIUS VARUS (46 BCE – 9 CE) a general and fellow-student of Virgil

ALEXANDER the EPICUREAN (1st-century CE) who was "fond of learning"

DIODORUS the EPICUREAN (1st-century CE) who allegedly committed suicide

GAIUS PETRONIUS ARBITER (c. 27 – 66 CE) who allegedly committed suicide

MARCUS GAVIUS APICIUS (1st-century CE) a gourmet during Tiberius' reign

NOMENTANUS (1st-century CE) a Roman Epicurean during Tiberius' reign

PUBLIUS MANLIUS VOPISCUS (1st-century CE) a patron of the poet Statius

CAIUS ARTORIUS CELER (1st – 2nd-century CE) a philosopher from North Africa

EMPRESS POMPEIA PLOTINA CLAUDIA PHOEBE PISO (c. 68 – 121/2 CE) Trajan's widow

MAXIMUS THE EPICUREAN (1st – 2nd-century CE) fragmentary attestation

AURELIUS BELIUS PHILIPPUS (2nd-century CE) Head of Apamean school

DAMIS THE EPICUREAN (2nd-century CE) whose historical personage is poorly attested

PUDENTIANUS (2nd-century CE) Galen wrote a lost work to him

TIBERIUS CLAUDIUS LEPIDUS (2nd-century CE) Founded school in Amastris

EMPEROR LUCIUS SEPTIMIUS SEVERUS (145 – 211) Emperor from 193 to 211

ZENOBIUS (2nd – 3rd-century CE) the target of a book by Alexander of Aphrodisias

PALLADAS of ALEXANDRIA (4th-century CE) known as the “last known ancient Epicurean”

We have seen that at the beginning of the third century AD, some five centuries after the death of its founder, Epicureanism was still alive both in major centres and in remoter parts of the Graeco-Roman world. It is generally held, however, that its demise lay not far off, that by the middle of the fourth century it would have become a virtually forgotten creed, overwhelmed, along with Stoicism, by the spread of Christianity, fully justifying St. Augustine's boast that 'its ashes are so cold that not a single spark can be struck from them'. (Jones, Epicurean Tradition 94)

MEDIEVAL EPICUREANS:

FREDERICK II, HOLY ROMAN EMPEROR (1194 – 1250) who burns in Dante's Inferno

FARINATA DEGLI UBERTI (1212 – 1264) a Florentine atheist who burns in Dante's Inferno

CAVALCANTE DE' CAVALCANTI (c. 1230 – 1280) a philosopher who burns in Dante's Inferno

MANFRED, KING OF SICILY (1232 – 1266) the son of Frederick II and fellow Epicurean

GUIDO CAVALCANTI (c. 1250 – 1300) best friend of Dante and son of Cavalcante

MODERN EPICUREANS AND NEO-EPICUREANS:

LORENZO VALLA (1406 – 1457) who wrote On Pleasure and sympathized with Epicurus

ERASMUS OF ROTTERDAM (1466 – 1536) a Dutch philosopher and Humanist

LUDOVICO ARIOSTO (1474 – 1533) a poet who employed Epicurean themes

GIOVANNI DI LORENZO DE' MEDICI, POPE LEO X (1475 – 1521) a luxury-loving Humanist

FRANCESCO GUICCIARDINI (1483 – 1540) of the Italian Renaissance

MICHEL EYQUEM DE MONTAIGNE (1533 – 1592) of the French Renaissance

ELIO DIODATAI (1576 – 1661) a Genevan jurist and supporter of Galileo

FRANÇOIS DE LA MOTHE LE VAYER (1588 – 1672) a writer and friend of Moliére

THÉOPHILE DE VIAU (1590 – 1626) who was banished from France on charges of immorality

PIERRE GASSENDI (1592 – 1655) who tried to reconcile Epicureanism with Christianity

JACQUES VALLÉE, SIEUR DES BARREAUX (1599 – 1673) a French poet and lover of de Viau

FRANÇOIS LUILLIER (1600 – 1651) was known by reputation as a practicing Epicurean

GABRIEL NAUDÉ (1600 – 1653) a French librarian, prolific writer, and friend of Gassendi

GUILLES DE LAUNAY (c. 1600– 1675) wrote that Epicurus was the ideal natural philosopher

GUI PATIN (1601 – 1672) a French doctor and great friend of Gabriel Naudé

EMMANUEL MAIGNAN (1601 – 1676) a French physicist and Christian Epicurean theologian

JEAN FRANÇOIS SARASIN (1611 – 1654) a French writer and Epicurean devotee

MARION DE LORME (1613 – 1650) a famous French courtesan from a known Epicurean circle

CHARLES DE SAINT-ÉVREMOND (1613 – 1703) a follower of Gassendi

FRANÇOIS VI, DUC DE LA ROCHEFOUCAULD (1613 – 1680) a French author

ANTOINE MENJOT (c. 1615 – 1696) a French doctor and follower of Gassendi

WALTER CHARLETON (1619 – 1707) a main transmitter of Epicureanism to England

SAVINIEN DE CYRANO DE BERGERAC (1619 – 1655) a French novelist and playwright

FRANÇOIS BERNIER (1620 – 1688) a French physician and follower of Gassendi

NINON DE L'ENCLOS (1620 – 1705) an author who left her inheritance for 9-year-old Voltaire

JEAN DE LA FONTAINE (1621 – 1695) a widely-read French poet and fabulist

MARGARET CAVENDISH, DUCHESS (1623 – 1673) an atomist but not a classical Epicurean

MADAME MARIE DE RABUTIN-CHANTAL, MARQUISE DE SÉVIGNÉ (1626 – 1696) an aristocrat

SIR WILLIAM TEMPLE, 1st BARONET (1628 – 1699) an essayist and friend of Wilmot

ANTOINETTE DESHOULIÈRES (1634 – 1655) a French, epicurean poet

GUILLAUME AMFRYE DE CHAULIEU (1639 – 1720) a convinced Epicurean poet

APHRA BEHN (1640 – 1689) an English playwright, poet, writer, and libertine translator

GUILLAUME LAMY (1644 – 1683) a French physician who taught La Mettrie

CHARLES AUGUSTE DE LA FARE (1644 – 1712) a French poet and friend of Chaulieu

JACQUES PARRAIN DES COUTURES (1645 – 1702) who wrote La Morale d'Epicure

JOHN WILMOT, 2nd EARL of ROCHESTER (1647 – 1680) a satirist; friend of Temple

JEAN DE LA CHAPELLE (1651 – 1723) the “father of French epicurean poetry.”

FRANÇOIS COURTIN (1659 – 1739) abbot of Mont-Saint-Quentin by age nineteen

WILLIAM CONGREVE (1670 – 1729) an English playwright of the Restoration Period

BERNARD MANDEVILLE (1670 – 1733) an Anglo-Dutch philosopher, economist, and satirist

CELESTINO GALIANI (1681 – 1753) an Archbishop who adhered to “Christian Epicureanism”

JULIEN OFFRAY DE LA METTRIE (1709 – 1751) who grounded mental processes in the body

FREDERICK II of PRUSSIA (1712 – 1786) also known as “Frederick The Great”

DENIS DIDEROT (1713 – 1784) a French author, social critic, and religious skeptic

CLAUDE ADRIEN HELVÉTIUS (1715 – 1771) a French utilitarian philosopher

PAUL-HENRI THIRY, BARON D'HOLBACH (1723 – 1789) an atheist during the Enlightenment

THOMAS JEFFERSON (1743 – 1826) the third President of the United States of America

JEREMY BENTHAM (1748 – 1832) an English philosopher and founder of modern Utilitarianism

RICHARD PAYNE KNIGHT (1751 – 1824) an English classical scholar and collector

WILLIAM SHORT (1759 – 1849) an ambassador and friend of Thomas Jefferson

WALTER SAVAGE LANDOR (1775 – 1864) an English writer, poet, and activist

CHARLES GREVILLE (1794 – 1865) an English diarist and amateur cricket player

FRANCIS WRIGHT (1795 – 1852) a Scottish-American writer, feminist, and abolitionist

WALT WHITMAN (1819 – 1892) and American poet whose Father heard Wright lecture

WILLIAM WALLACE (1844 – 1897) a Scottish philosopher inspired by Epicurus

ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON (1850 – 1894) an American writer and author of Treasure Island

JEAN-MARIE GUYAU (1854 – 1888) a French author and anarchist who died at the age of 33

HENRY DWIGHT SEDGWICK (1861 – 1957) titled his auto-biography Memoirs of an Epicurean

CHARLES LEOPOLD MAYER (1881 – 1971) a French biochemist and Liberal who opposed Marx

JUN TSUJI (1884 – 1944) a Japanese dadaist, absurdist, poet, essayist and playwright

H. P. LOVECRAFT (1890 – 1927) whose philosophy of Cosmicism was inspired by Epicureanism
JOSÉ MUJICA (1935 – PRESENT) a farmer and 40^th President of Uruguay from 2010 to 2015.

CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS (1949 – 2011) a writer, polemicist and religious critic

CASSIUS AMICUS (1958 – PRESENT) a writer and proprietor of NewEpicurean.com

MICHEL ONFRAY (1959 – PRESENT) a scholar of hedonism and fierce religious critic

HIRAM CRESPO (1975 – PRESENT) a writer and founder of SocietyOfEpicurus.com

NATHAN H. BARTMAN (1988 – PRESENT) a musician and author of this historical investigation.

FORMER EPICUREANS:

TIMOCRATES of LAMPSACUS (4th – 3rd-century BCE) brother of Metrodorus of Lampsacus

HERODOTUS of LAMPSACUS (4th – 3rd-century BCE) Friend of Timocrates

METRODORUS of STRATONECIUS (2nd-century BCE) converted to Academic Skepticism

CICERO (106 BCE – 43 BCE) Student of Phaedrus who pioneered Eclecticism

SAUL of TARSUS (c. 5 – 65 CE) Better known as St. Paul the Apostle of the Christian tradition

EPICUREAN COMMUNITIES:

We meet Epicureans not just in Athens, where they were amongst Paul's audiences, but we also come across Epicurean communities in the West, in Herculaneum or Sorrento, in the East, on Rhodes and Cos, in Pergamon, Lycian Oinoanda, Syrian Apameia, in remote southern Lycian Rhodiapolis or in Amastris in Bithynia on the Black Sea. (The Cambridge Companion to Epicureanism 48)

School at LAMPSACUS (modern Northwestern Turkey) Founded by Epicurus

The GARDEN (O KHΠOΣ) of ATHENS (Central Greece) Founded by Epicurus

Community in CORINTH (Peloponnese peninsula, Greece)

Community in CHALCIS (Euboea island, Greece)

Community in THEBES (Boeotia, Central Greece)

Community in THESSALONIKI (Macedonia region, Greece)

Community in KOS (Southeastern island of Greece)

School at RHODES (Southeastern island of Greece)

School at AMASTRIS (Northern Turkey) Founded by Tiberius Claudius Lepidus

Community in TARSUS (Northwest Turkey)

Community in PERGAMON (Western Turkey)

Community in COLOPHON (Western Turkey)

Community in EPHESUS (Southwestern Turkey)

School at MILETUS (Southwestern Turkey) Founded by Demetrius Laco

Community in OINOANDA (Southwestern Turkey) Supported by Diogenes

Community in RHODIAPOLIS (Southwestern Turkey)

School at ANTIOCH (South-central Turkey) Founded by Philonides

School at APAMEIA (Western Syria) Lead by Aurelius Belius Philippus

Community at SIDON (Lebanon)

Community at TYRE (Lebanon)

Community in ALEXANDRIA (City of Alexander III of Macedon in Egypt)

Community in OXYRHYNCHUS (Southern Egypt)

School at NAPLES (Southwestern Italy) Founded by Siro

Community in HERCULANEUM (Southwestern Italy) Lead by Philodemus

Community in ROME (Western Italy) Inspired by Albucius

Perfect! Thank you, I have a few more to add.

Cassius I was about to upload more when I received a storage limit error. The files, themselves, are small, and I deleted some duplicate images to save storage space. Is there a Trash Can somewhere that needs to be emptied?

Thanks, Cassius!

That meme in particular made me laugh because I needed an egregiously pro-Stoic headline for comedic juxtaposition and I thought it was fitting that Donald Robertson not only wrote this, but published it within the last few months.

It was only after capturing it that I realized he wrote it. I can always count on Donald for new material.

My username is Shazdar#7526 for anyone else using the platform.

There's an interesting idea called the Romulus and Remus Hypothesis which suggests that modern human language could only have been developed by children: "pre-modern humans would not have been able to learn recursive language as adults, and, therefore, would not be able to teach recursive language to their own children." The author suggests that humans have a brief window to develop the ability to convey spatial relations through speech (i.e. prepositions), so ... two kids 70 millennia ago made the first joke and ... here we are.

https://phys.org/news/2019-08-r…usly-years.html

Quote from Don

Just FYI: Modern brain research has debunked the 3-part human brain. All mammalian brains (and possibly others, sorry, can't recall off the top of my head .... pun not necessarily intended) contain all those parts to varying degrees. See the work of Dr. Barrett and others.

https://how-emotions-are-made.com/notes/Triune_brain_myth

https://drsarahmckay.com/rethinking-the-reptilian-brain/

https://thebrainscientist.com/2018/04/11/you…a-lizard-brain/

The 3-part human brain schema always struck me as being Platonic (and Freudian, for that matter)

1. the rational superego of the "human" logos (λογιστικόν), or logistikon
2. the selfish ego of the "mammalian" thymos (θυμοειδές), or thumoeides
3. the defensive id of the "reptilian" eros (ἐπιθυμητικόν), or epithumetikon

There seems to be a correlation between the three gunas (psychological qualities) posited in the Gita:

1. Sattva (सत्त्व), being understanding, patient, orderly, and wise
2. Rajas (रजस्), being ambitious, passionate, and egotistical
3. Tamas (तमस्), being vindictive, defensive, violence, and destructive

I'm curious if there is a historical link between the aforementioned division of Threes. I note a division of Fours that can be found throughout history from Hippocrates' four humors to Galen's four personalities, to the four stations of life in Hinduism and the Indian caste system that reflects it, to contemporary American job-placement tests: there is a direct, historical evolution there. There may be for Threes, too.

I believe that Discord servers can only be accessed through invitation.

(I sent you a request on Discord).