File:Posidonio,_replica_augustea_(23_ac.-14_dc_ca)_da_originale_del_100-50_ac._ca._6142.JPG · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Posidonius
Sign in to saveAlso known as Poseidonios, Posidonius of Apamea
Posidonius (; , "of Poseidon") "of Apameia" () or "of Rhodes" () (), was a Greek politician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, historian, mathematician, and teacher native to Apamea, Syria. He was considered the most learned man of his time and, possibly, of the entire Stoic school. After a period learning Stoic philosophy from Panaetius in Athens, he spent many years in travel and scientific researches in Spain, Africa, Italy, Gaul, Liguria, Sicily and on the eastern shores of the Adriatic. He settled as a teacher at Rhodes where his fame attracted numerous scholars. Next to Panaetius he di
Posidonius was an ancient Greek scholar from Syria (2nd-1st century BCE) who excelled in astronomy, geography, mathematics, history, and philosophy, earning a reputation as the most learned person of his era and a major figure in Stoic thought. He is significant because his wide-ranging scientific investigations and teachings at Rhodes influenced numerous scholars and helped shape ancient understanding of the natural world and philosophy.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Person · Open Library
- Born
- ca. 135 BC
- Died
- 51 BC
- Works
- 9
Top works
- Hapanta
- Posidonius (Cambridge Classical Texts and Commentaries)
- Posidonius
- Die Fragmente
- Posidonii Rhodii Reliquiae doctrine, collegit atque illustravit Janus Bake
via Open Library + Wikidata
Recent publications · Crossref
1 total works indexed
via Crossref · CC0
Quotes
- “Riches are a cause of evil, not because, of themselves, they do any evil, but because they goad men on so that they are ready to do evil.”
- “A single day among the learned lasts longer than the longest life of the ignorant.”
- “Things which bestow upon the soul no greatness or confidence or freedom from care are not goods. But riches and health and similar conditions do none of these things; therefore, riches and health are not goods. Things which bestow upon the soul no greatness or confidence or freedom from care, but on the other hand create in it arrogance, vanity, and insolence, are evils. But things which are the gift of Fortune drive us into these evil ways. Therefore these things are not goods.”
- “When men were scattered over the earth, protected by eaves or by the dug-out shelter of a cliff or by the trunk of a hollow tree, it was philosophy that taught them to build houses.”
- “There are never any occasions when you need think yourself safe because you wield the weapons of Fortune; fight with your own! Fortune does not furnish arms against herself; hence men equipped against their foes are unarmed against Fortune herself.”
via Wikiquote · CC BY-SA
Key facts
- Philosopher.region
- Western philosophy
- Philosopher.era
- Hellenistic philosophy
- Philosopher.image
- Posidonio, replica augustea (23 ac.-14 dc ca) da originale del 100-50 ac. ca. 6142.JPG
- Philosopher.caption
- Bust of Posidonius from the Naples National Archaeological Museum
- Philosopher.name
- Posidonius
- Philosopher.birth_place
- Apamea Seleucid Empire
- Philosopher.death_date
- (aged 83–84)
- Philosopher.death_place
- Rhodes or Rome
- Philosopher.school_tradition
- Stoicism
- Philosopher.main_interests
- Astronomy, geography, history, mathematics, meteorology, philosophy, physics
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Place of birth
- Apamea
- Image
- Probably Poseidonos Rhodos.jpg
Show 8 more facts
- Commons category
- Posidonius
- date of death
- 0051-01-01
- date of birth
- 0135-01-01
- name in native language
- Ποσειδώνιος
- P8168
- Tei
- birth name
- Ποσειδώνιος
- P11493
- Beta Pegasi
- significant place
- Apamea
via Wikidata · CC0
~23 min read
Article
21 sectionsContents
- Life
- Early life and education
- Travels
- Political offices
- The Stoic school on Rhodes
- Partial scope of writings
- Philosophy
- Ethics
- Physics
- Mathematics
- Astronomy and meteorology
- Geography, ethnology, and geology
- Earth's circumference
- History and tactics
- Reputation and influence
- See also
- References
- Editions and translations
- Sources
- Further reading
- External links
Posidonius (; , "of Poseidon") "of Apameia" () or "of Rhodes" () (), was a Greek politician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, historian, mathematician, and teacher native to Apamea, Syria. He was considered the most learned man of his time and, possibly, of the entire Stoic school. After a period learning Stoic philosophy from Panaetius in Athens, he spent many years in travel and scientific researches in Spain, Africa, Italy, Gaul, Liguria, Sicily and on the eastern shores of the Adriatic. He settled as a teacher at Rhodes where his fame attracted numerous scholars. Next to Panaetius he did most, by writings and personal lectures, to spread Stoicism to the Roman world, and he became well known to many leading men, including Pompey and Cicero.
His works are now lost, but they proved a mine of information to later writers. The titles and subjects of more than twenty of them are known. In common with other Stoics of the middle period, he displayed syncretic tendencies, following not just the earlier Stoics, but making use of the works of Plato and Aristotle. A polymath as well as a philosopher, he took genuine interest in natural science, geography, natural history, mathematics and astronomy. He sought to determine the distance and magnitude of the Sun, to calculate the diameter of the Earth and the influence of the Moon on the tides.