The Wise Men of Ancient Greece. Seven Wise Men of Ancient Greece

Wisdom and erudition have always been highly valued in almost all social systems. And more important was not just the possession of knowledge, but the ability to apply them at the right time in practice. This is what was called wisdom. The cradle of European culture is considered to be Hellas. In this regard, it is not at all surprising that it is the sages of ancient Greece who are considered the first to shed a light of knowledge on the dark nations of the Old World. It is they who are attributed to the systematization of the experience accumulated so far by mankind and its realization on the example of one's own life.

Since ancient times, people have tried to identify the most outstanding representatives of mankind. Even in the times of antiquity, seven wise men of ancient Greece were named, persons who, according to the Greeks, possessed the greatest store of knowledge. This number was chosen not by chance. The number "seven" had a sacred and religious meaning. But if the number of geniuses remained unchanged, then their names changed depending on the time and place of compiling the list. Up to now, several versions of it have come up, in which the sages of ancient Greece appear.

List of Plato

According to the legend, seven wise men from Ancient Greece were named by name in Athens during the time of the archon of Damascus in 582 BC. E. The very first and most famous list, which has survived to this day, was abandoned in the IV century BC. E. The great philosopher Plato in his dialogue Protagoras. Who was included in this list, and what made the seven wise men of Ancient Greece famous?

Thales of Miletus (640 - 546 BC)

Thales was one of the first ancient philosophers and the founder of the so-called Ionian school. He was born in the city of Miletus, located in Asia Minor, which is in the territory of modern Turkey, from where he received his nickname. In addition to philosophy, he achieved special knowledge in astronomy and geometry, thanks to the study of the heritage of the Egyptians and scholars of Mesopotamia. It is attributed to him the division of the calendar year into 365 days. Unfortunately, all thoughts and sayings of Thales of Miletus reached us only through the works of later philosophers.

Solon of Athens (640 - 559 BC)

Solon is the famous Athenian philosopher, poet and lawgiver. According to legend, he came from the royal family of Codrids, but, in spite of this, his parents were people with a small income. Then Solon was able to get rich, and then became the most influential political figure in Athens. It is he who is considered to be the creator of democratic laws, which in almost unchanged form lasted for several centuries in this city. By the end of his life, he voluntarily withdrew from power. Solon was also highly regarded by his contemporaries as a poet and thinker. To the question of the Lydian king Krez, whether Solon knows someone better than him, the Athenian philosopher replied that this can only be judged after the death of a person.

Biant Priensky (590 - 530 BC)

Biant, probably, is more mysterious figure, than other wise men of Ancient Greece. Little is known about his life. He was a judge in the city of Prien, where he became famous for his wise decisions, and once even saved his native city from the Lydian king Alliat. But when his homeland conquered the Persian ruler Cyrus, Biantu had to leave the settlement, with nothing to do with it.

Pitak of Mytilene (651 - 569 BC)

Pittak was a famous sage, commander and ruler of the Asia Minor city of Mytilene. I deserved the glory of a tyrant, liberating my native city from the despotism of Melanchra. Also known as an outstanding legislator. His saying that even the gods inevitably do not argue was very much appreciated, as well as other aphorisms of the wise men of Ancient Greece. He voluntarily resigned his power.

All of the above thinkers and philosophers were on the list of the 7 wise men of ancient Greece in absolutely all editions. Those about whom the conversation will be discussed below were included in the Platonic version of the list of the greatest people of Hellas and some other compilers. But still they are not found in all the lists, in which seven wise men from ancient Greece are brought.

Kleobul from Linda (540 - 460 BC)

Kleobul according to one of the versions came from the city of Linda, which is in Rhodes, and the second - from Caria in Asia Minor. His father was Evagoras, who was considered the descendant of Hercules himself. He earned fame as a wise ruler and town planner, erected a temple in Linda and built a water pipe. In addition, Cleobel became famous as the author of songs and clever riddles. His daughter Kleobulina was also considered one of the most enlightened philosophers.

Mason from Hyun (VI century BC)

Mason, in spite of the fact that his father was the ruler in Henas or in Itiya, for himself chose a quiet and contemplative life of the philosopher, far from worldly vanity. Most famous as the author of great sayings, some of which were worthy to enter into the number of 7 sayings of the wise men of Ancient Greece. Some experts believe that he was included by Plato in the list of wisest people for political reasons.

Chilo from Sparta (VI century BC)

Chilon is a famous Spartan poet and legislator. He held the post of efor. At his post promoted the introduction of many progressive laws, which were later attributed to Lycurgus. Chilon's speech, according to contemporaries, was full of profound meaning, but was characterized by laconicism, a characteristic feature of most Spartans. It is he who is credited with the saying that they do not speak ill of dead people.

List of Diogenes of Laertius

In addition to the list of Plato, the most famous list, which includes the seven sages of Ancient Greece, the outstanding historian of philosophy Diogenes Laertius, who lived presumably at the end of the II-beginning of the III century. AD The only difference between this list and the previous one is that instead of Mason, the Corinthian tyrant Periander is included in it. Some scholars consider this list to be the original one, despite the fact that Diogenes lived much later than Plato. This paradox is explained by the fact that the latter, because of his rejection of tyranny, could exclude Periandra from the list, and include the less famous Mason. Diogenes in his work used a more ancient source.

The names of all the other sages in both lists are completely the same.

Periander of Corinth (667 - 585 BC)

Periander, the ruler of Corinth, probably - the most controversial figure of all the 7 wise men of ancient Greece. On the one hand, he had an amazing mind, he was a great inventor and builder, who modernized the fiber through the isthmus separating the Peloponnesian peninsula from the mainland, and then began to build a canal through it. In addition, Periander patronized the art, and significantly strengthened the army, which allowed to rise to Corinth as never before. But on the other hand, historians describe him as a typical cruel tyrant, especially in the second half of the government.

According to legend, Periander died of the fact that he could not bear the death of his son, to which he himself was doomed.

Other lists

In the lists of other authors, only the names of Thales, Solon, Biant and Pittak remain unchanged. The personalities of the other sages can vary and differ significantly from the two classical versions.

Akumlay (sixth century BC) is a Hellenic historian who lived before Herodotus. By origin the Dorian. Tradition ascribes to him the first historical work written in prose.

Anaxagoras (500-428 BC) is a philosopher and well-known mathematician from Asia Minor. Also practiced astronomy. Tried to explain the structure of the universe.

Anacharsis (605 - 545 BC) is a Scythian sage. He was personally acquainted with Solon and the Lydian king Croesus. He is credited with the invention of an anchor, a sail and a potter's wheel. In addition, Anacharsis is known for his valuable sayings. He was killed by the Scythians for taking over Hellenic customs. The reality of its existence is being questioned by many scientists.

Pythagoras (570 - 490 BC) is a well-known ancient Greek philosopher and geometer. It is to him that the famous theorem on the equality of angles in a right-angled triangle is attributed. In addition, he is the founder of the philosophical school, later adopted the name Pythagoreanism. He died in his old age by his own death.

In addition, among those who were recorded in the sages of ancient Greece, you can name the names of Forekid, Aristodem, Lin, Efor, Las, Epimenides, Leofant, Pamphylus, Epiharm, Pisistratus and Orpheus.

The principles of listing

It can be concluded that the list of the wisest people Hellenes included representatives of a wide variety of activities, but most often they were philosophers. Although, in fact, they could combine this subject with another important occupation - studying mathematics, astronomy, natural science, and government. However, almost all the sciences of that time were inextricably linked with philosophy.

These lists could vary significantly and differ from the two so-called classical versions. In many ways, the specific names included in them depended on the place of residence and political views of the originator. So, Plato, apparently, it is for these reasons excluded from the number of great sages Corinthian tyrant Periandra.

Not always in the lists of great thinkers there were some Greeks. There sometimes included representatives of other peoples, such as the Hellenized Scythian Anacharsis.

The importance of the topic today

Certainly, the Greeks attempt to single out the most outstanding representatives from their number and systematize them is one of the first of its kind in the Ancient World. By studying this list, we can judge what personal qualities were considered the most significant in the ancient world and associated with wisdom. It is important to get acquainted with these representations of the Greeks in order to be able to look through the eyes of modern man on the evolution of this concept for many centuries.

In Russia, to study this aspect in the school course, a separate topic is singled out - "Wise Men of Ancient Greece". The fifth grade is the optimal period of study for the perception of such fundamental questions.