1. Home
    1. Start Here: Study Guide
    2. Community Standards And Posting Policies
    3. Terms of Use
    4. Moderator Team
    5. Site Map
    6. Quizzes
    7. Articles
      1. Featured Articles
    8. All Blog Posts
      1. Elli's Blog / Articles
  2. Wiki
    1. Wiki Home
    2. FAQ
    3. Classical Epicureanism
    4. Physics Wiki
    5. Canonics Wiki
    6. Ethics Wiki
    7. Search Assistance
    8. Not NeoEpicurean
    9. Foundations
    10. Navigation Outlines
    11. Key Pages
  3. Forum
    1. Full Forum List
    2. Welcome Threads
    3. Physics
    4. Canonics
    5. Ethics
    6. Uncategorized Forum
    7. Study Resources Forum
    8. Ancient Texts Forum
    9. Shortcuts
    10. Featured
    11. Most Discussed
  4. Latest
    1. New Activity
    2. Latest Threads
    3. Dashboard
    4. Search By Tag
    5. Complete Tag List
  5. Podcast
    1. Lucretius Today Podcast
    2. Episode Guide
    3. Lucretius Today At Youtube
    4. EpicureanFriends Youtube Page
  6. Texts
    1. Overview
    2. Diogenes Laertius
    3. Principal Doctrines
    4. Vatican Sayings
    5. Lucretius
    6. Herodotus
    7. Pythocles
    8. Menoeceus
    9. Fragments - Usener Collection
    10. Torquatus On Ethics
    11. Velleius On Gods
    12. Greek/Latin Help
  7. Gallery
    1. Featured images
    2. Albums
    3. Latest Images
    4. Latest Comments
  8. Calendar
    1. Upcoming Events List
    2. Zoom Meetings
    3. This Month
    4. Sunday Zoom Meetings
    5. First Monday Zoom Meetings
    6. Wednesday Zoom Meeting
    7. Twentieth Zoom Meetings
    8. Zoom Meetings
  9. Other
    1. Featured Content
    2. Blog Posts
    3. Files
    4. Logbook
    5. EF ToDo List
    6. Link-Database
  • Login
  • Register
  • Search
Wiki
  • Everywhere
  • Forum
  • Articles
  • Blog Articles
  • Files
  • Gallery
  • Events
  • Pages
  • Wiki
  • Help
  • FAQ
  • More Options

Welcome To EpicureanFriends.com!

"Remember that you are mortal, and you have a limited time to live, and in devoting yourself to discussion of the nature of time and eternity you have seen things that have been, are now, and are to come."

Sign In Now
or
Register a new account
  1. Home
    1. Start Here: Study Guide
    2. Community Standards And Posting Policies
    3. Terms of Use
    4. Moderator Team
    5. Site Map
    6. Quizzes
    7. Articles
      1. Featured Articles
    8. All Blog Posts
      1. Elli's Blog / Articles
  2. Wiki
    1. Wiki Home
    2. FAQ
    3. Classical Epicureanism
    4. Physics Wiki
    5. Canonics Wiki
    6. Ethics Wiki
    7. Search Assistance
    8. Not NeoEpicurean
    9. Foundations
    10. Navigation Outlines
    11. Key Pages
  3. Forum
    1. Full Forum List
    2. Welcome Threads
    3. Physics
    4. Canonics
    5. Ethics
    6. Uncategorized Forum
    7. Study Resources Forum
    8. Ancient Texts Forum
    9. Shortcuts
    10. Featured
    11. Most Discussed
  4. Latest
    1. New Activity
    2. Latest Threads
    3. Dashboard
    4. Search By Tag
    5. Complete Tag List
  5. Podcast
    1. Lucretius Today Podcast
    2. Episode Guide
    3. Lucretius Today At Youtube
    4. EpicureanFriends Youtube Page
  6. Texts
    1. Overview
    2. Diogenes Laertius
    3. Principal Doctrines
    4. Vatican Sayings
    5. Lucretius
    6. Herodotus
    7. Pythocles
    8. Menoeceus
    9. Fragments - Usener Collection
    10. Torquatus On Ethics
    11. Velleius On Gods
    12. Greek/Latin Help
  7. Gallery
    1. Featured images
    2. Albums
    3. Latest Images
    4. Latest Comments
  8. Calendar
    1. Upcoming Events List
    2. Zoom Meetings
    3. This Month
    4. Sunday Zoom Meetings
    5. First Monday Zoom Meetings
    6. Wednesday Zoom Meeting
    7. Twentieth Zoom Meetings
    8. Zoom Meetings
  9. Other
    1. Featured Content
    2. Blog Posts
    3. Files
    4. Logbook
    5. EF ToDo List
    6. Link-Database
  1. Home
    1. Start Here: Study Guide
    2. Community Standards And Posting Policies
    3. Terms of Use
    4. Moderator Team
    5. Site Map
    6. Quizzes
    7. Articles
      1. Featured Articles
    8. All Blog Posts
      1. Elli's Blog / Articles
  2. Wiki
    1. Wiki Home
    2. FAQ
    3. Classical Epicureanism
    4. Physics Wiki
    5. Canonics Wiki
    6. Ethics Wiki
    7. Search Assistance
    8. Not NeoEpicurean
    9. Foundations
    10. Navigation Outlines
    11. Key Pages
  3. Forum
    1. Full Forum List
    2. Welcome Threads
    3. Physics
    4. Canonics
    5. Ethics
    6. Uncategorized Forum
    7. Study Resources Forum
    8. Ancient Texts Forum
    9. Shortcuts
    10. Featured
    11. Most Discussed
  4. Latest
    1. New Activity
    2. Latest Threads
    3. Dashboard
    4. Search By Tag
    5. Complete Tag List
  5. Podcast
    1. Lucretius Today Podcast
    2. Episode Guide
    3. Lucretius Today At Youtube
    4. EpicureanFriends Youtube Page
  6. Texts
    1. Overview
    2. Diogenes Laertius
    3. Principal Doctrines
    4. Vatican Sayings
    5. Lucretius
    6. Herodotus
    7. Pythocles
    8. Menoeceus
    9. Fragments - Usener Collection
    10. Torquatus On Ethics
    11. Velleius On Gods
    12. Greek/Latin Help
  7. Gallery
    1. Featured images
    2. Albums
    3. Latest Images
    4. Latest Comments
  8. Calendar
    1. Upcoming Events List
    2. Zoom Meetings
    3. This Month
    4. Sunday Zoom Meetings
    5. First Monday Zoom Meetings
    6. Wednesday Zoom Meeting
    7. Twentieth Zoom Meetings
    8. Zoom Meetings
  9. Other
    1. Featured Content
    2. Blog Posts
    3. Files
    4. Logbook
    5. EF ToDo List
    6. Link-Database
  1. EpicureanFriends - Home of Classical Epicurean Philosophy
  2. EpicureanFriends.com Wiki
  • Sidebar
  • Sidebar

Sources: An Overview of Sources For The Philosophy of Epicurus

  • Kalosyni
  • December 21, 2021 at 8:12 PM
  • June 13, 2024 at 5:21 PM
  • 3,731 times viewed

We are now requiring that new registrants confirm their request for an account by email.  Once you complete the "Sign Up" process to set up your user name and password, please send an email to the New Accounts Administator to obtain new account approval.

Regularly Checking In On A Small Screen Device? Bookmark THIS page!
  • Epicurus is said to have originally written over 300 works on various subjects, but the vast majority of these writings have been lost.

    1) Diogenes Laertius - A major source for Epicurean doctrine is Diogenes Laertius, a Greek biographer (3rd century CE). Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers Book 10 contains three of Epicurus’ letters to his disciples: the "Letter to Herodotus" on physical theory, the "Letter to Menoeceus" on Epicurean ethics, and the "Letter to Pythocles" on astronomical and meteorological matters. Also contained in this book are the “Principal Doctrines” (Kuriai Doxai) in which Diogenes quotes a collection of short sayings excerpted from the writings of Epicurus. Diogenes also fills in topics not covered in the Letters, and provides a list of Epicurus’ writings and other biographical information.

    Cyril Bailey translation:

    https://users.manchester.edu/Facstaff/SSNaragon/Online/texts/316/Epicurus,%20LetterMenoeceus.pdf

    Peter Saint-Andre translations:

    Principal Doctrines, by Epicurus

    Letter to Menoikos, by Epicurus

    R.D. Hicks translation (1925) Book 10:

    Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers, BOOK X, EPICURUS (341-271 B.C.)

    C.D. Yonge translation (1895) Book 10, Sections 84-154:

    Diogenes Laertius: Principal Doctrines of Epicurus

    File

    KURIAI DOXAI, a Compilation of Translations by Nathan H. Bartman (2021)

    This compilation contains 150 years worth of English translations of the "Key Doctrines" of Epicurus.
    Eikadistes
    May 3, 2024 at 11:14 PM

    2) Lucretius - wrote the philosophical Latin poem "On the Nature of Things" (De rerum natura) in six books of hexameter verse (first century BCE). This poem covers Epicurean physics and natural philosophy.

    William Ellery Leonard translation:

    The Internet Classics Archive | On the Nature of Things by Lucretius

    3) Diogenes of Oenoanda - erected a large inscription on a stone wall in the city of Oenoanda (second century CE, in what is now modern day southwestern Turkey). The Greek inscription contains the basic tenets of Epicureanism, including a treatise on ethics. To this day it is only partially excavated, and the work to reconstruct stone fragments continues.

    M.F. Smith translation:

    The inscripion

    4) Herculaneum scrolls - Several works of Epicurus, including parts of his major treatise, On Nature have been recovered in damaged condition from the library of a villa in the town of Herculaneum. The papyri rolls were buried and preserved in the ash from the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 CE. They were rediscovered in 1752, but early attempts to read the scrolls proved difficult and unrolling destroyed the papyri. Scrolls are now being virtually read by newly created technology.

    5) Philodemus - The Herculaneum library also held the writings of Philodemus, an Epicurean philosopher in the first century BCE. Philodemus' writings both preseved Epicurean philosophy and also dealt with ongoing developments within Epicurean communities. New editions and translations continue to come forward.

    6) The "Vatican Sayings" - a collection of short sayings which partially overlap with those from Diogenes Laertius. Some of these maxims might not be attributable to Epicurus. This 14th century manuscript was rediscovered in 1888.

    Peter Saint-Andre translation:

    Vatican Sayings, by Epicurus

    Epicurus The Extant Remains Bailey Oxford 1926 Optimized For Greek On Left : Cyril Bailey : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
    Epicurus - The Extant Remains - Cyril Bailey - Optimized for Greek on Left Side for On-Line Viewing
    archive.org

    7) Cicero - presented and also criticized Epicurus’ ideas, especially concerning ethics, in several of his philosophical works, including "On Moral Ends" (De finibus) and the "Tusculan Disputations".


    8 ) Plutarch, Sextus Empiricus, and the Greek commentators on Aristotle - these writings contain short citations of Epicurus’ works, however they are often taken out of context or presented in a polemical and distorted fashion.

    References:
    Epicurus (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

    Epicurus - Wikipedia
    en.m.wikipedia.org
    Lucretius - Wikipedia
    en.m.wikipedia.org
    De rerum natura - Wikipedia
    en.m.wikipedia.org

    Diogenes of Oenoanda - Wikipedia

    Herculaneum papyri - Wikipedia
    en.m.wikipedia.org

    Philodemus (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

Share

  • Previous entry Script of "A Few Days In Athens" Suitable For Performance
  • Next entry Thomas Jefferson Resources
  • Changelog
  • PDF

Unread Threads

    1. Title
    2. Replies
    3. Last Reply
    1. Immutability of Epicurean school in ancient times 15

      • Thanks 1
      • TauPhi
      • July 28, 2025 at 8:44 PM
      • Uncategorized Discussion (General)
      • TauPhi
      • September 10, 2025 at 7:08 AM
    2. Replies
      15
      Views
      7.8k
      15
    3. Cassius

      September 10, 2025 at 7:08 AM
    1. Boris Nikolsky - Article On His Interest in Classical Philosophy (Original In Russian) 1

      • Thanks 1
      • Cassius
      • September 6, 2025 at 5:21 PM
      • Articles Prepared By Professional Academics
      • Cassius
      • September 8, 2025 at 10:37 AM
    2. Replies
      1
      Views
      3.8k
      1
    3. Cassius

      September 8, 2025 at 10:37 AM
    1. Boris Nikolsky's 2023 Summary Of His Thesis About Epicurus On Pleasure (From "Knife" Magazine)

      • Cassius
      • September 6, 2025 at 5:32 PM
      • Articles Prepared By Professional Academics
      • Cassius
      • September 6, 2025 at 5:32 PM
    2. Replies
      0
      Views
      2.5k
    1. Edward Abbey - My Favorite Quotes 4

      • Love 4
      • Joshua
      • July 11, 2019 at 7:57 PM
      • Uncategorized Discussion (General)
      • Joshua
      • August 31, 2025 at 1:02 PM
    2. Replies
      4
      Views
      7.5k
      4
    3. SillyApe

      August 31, 2025 at 1:02 PM
    1. A Question About Hobbes From Facebook

      • Cassius
      • August 24, 2025 at 9:11 AM
      • Uncategorized Discussion (General)
      • Cassius
      • August 24, 2025 at 9:11 AM
    2. Replies
      0
      Views
      3k

Finding Things At EpicureanFriends.com

What's the best strategy for finding things on EpicureanFriends.com? Here's a suggested search strategy:

  • First, familiarize yourself with the list of forums. The best way to find threads related to a particular topic is to look in the relevant forum. Over the years most people have tried to start threads according to forum topic, and we regularly move threads from our "general discussion" area over to forums with more descriptive titles.
  • Use the "Search" facility at the top right of every page. Note that the search box asks you what section of the forum you'd like to search. If you don't know, select "Everywhere." Also check the "Search Assistance" page.
  • Use the "Tag" facility, starting with the "Key Tags By Topic" in the right hand navigation pane, or using the "Search By Tag" page, or the "Tag Overview" page which contains a list of all tags alphabetically. We curate the available tags to keep them to a manageable number that is descriptive of frequently-searched topics.

Wiki Categories

  1. Wiki Index 2
  2. EpicureanFriends Organizational Documents 9
  3. Canonics / Epistemology 8
  4. Physics / Nature of the Universe (Includes "Gods") 10
  5. Ethics / How To Live 15
  6. Texts 71
    1. Lucretius 4
    2. Epicurus 3
  7. Other Resources 35
    1. Joshua's Quotations From the Lucretius Today Podcast 9
    2. Self Study Courses 3
    3. Techniques for Better Living 3
    4. General / Use of The Lexicon 2
    5. Glossary of Greek and Latin Terms 3
    6. Epicurean History 3

Wiki Home

Frequently Used Forums

  • Frequently Asked / Introductory Questions
  • News And Announcements
  • Lucretius Today Podcast
  • Physics (The Nature of the Universe)
  • Canonics (The Tests Of Truth)
  • Ethics (How To Live)
  • Against Determinism
  • Against Skepticism
  • The "Meaning of Life" Question
  • Uncategorized Discussion
  • Comparisons With Other Philosophies
  • Historical Figures
  • Ancient Texts
  • Decline of The Ancient Epicurean Age
  • Unsolved Questions of Epicurean History
  • Welcome New Participants
  • Events - Activism - Outreach
  • Full Forum List

Latest Posts

  • Episode 299 - TD27 - Was Epicurus Right That There Are Only Two Feelings - Pleasure And Pain? Not Yet Released

    Don September 17, 2025 at 4:42 PM
  • The relationship between pleasure and pain and emotions and feelings

    Matteng September 17, 2025 at 3:27 PM
  • Happy Birthday General Thread

    Kalosyni September 17, 2025 at 8:29 AM
  • Episode 298 - TD26 - Facts And Feelings In Epicurean Philosophy - Part 1"

    Don September 16, 2025 at 6:38 PM
  • Specific Methods of Resistance Against Our Coming AI Overlords

    Pacatus September 15, 2025 at 3:52 PM
  • Comparing The Pleasure of A Great Physicist Making A Discovery To The Pleasure of A Lion Eating A Lamb

    Cassius September 14, 2025 at 6:09 AM
  • Fragment 32 -- The "Shouting To All Greeks And Non-Greeks That Virtue Is Not The Goal" Passage

    Don September 13, 2025 at 10:32 AM
  • Latest Podcast Posted - "Facts And Feelings In Epicurean Philosophy - Part 1"

    Cassius September 12, 2025 at 4:55 PM
  • The Role of Virtue in Epicurean Philosophy According the Wall of Oinoanda

    Kalosyni September 12, 2025 at 9:26 AM
  • Bodily Sensations, Sentience and AI

    Patrikios September 11, 2025 at 5:05 PM

Frequently Used Tags

In addition to posting in the appropriate forums, participants are encouraged to reference the following tags in their posts:

  • #Physics
    • #Atomism
    • #Gods
    • #Images
    • #Infinity
    • #Eternity
    • #Life
    • #Death
  • #Canonics
    • #Knowledge
    • #Scepticism
  • #Ethics

    • #Pleasure
    • #Pain
    • #Engagement
    • #EpicureanLiving
    • #Friendship
    • #Happiness
    • #Virtue
      • #Wisdom
      • #Temperance
      • #Courage
      • #Justice
      • #Honesty
      • #Faith (Confidence)
      • #Friendship
      • #Suavity
      • #Consideration
      • #Hope
      • #Gratitude



Click Here To Search All Tags

To Suggest Additions To This List Click Here

Contributors in this entry

  1. Kalosyni 9 changes
  2. Cassius 5 changes

EpicureanFriends - Classical Epicurean Philosophy

  1. Home
    1. About Us
    2. Classical Epicurean Philosophy
  2. Wiki
    1. Getting Started
  3. Frequently Asked Questions
    1. Site Map
  4. Forum
    1. Latest Threads
    2. Featured Threads
    3. Unread Posts
  5. Texts
    1. Core Texts
    2. Biography of Epicurus
    3. Lucretius
  6. Articles
    1. Latest Articles
  7. Gallery
    1. Featured Images
  8. Calendar
    1. This Month At EpicureanFriends
Lexicon 7.1.12, developed by www.viecode.com
Powered by WoltLab Suite™ 6.0.22
Style: Inspire by cls-design
Stylename
Inspire
Manufacturer
cls-design
Licence
Commercial styles
Help
Supportforum
Visit cls-design