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Seven Sages of Greece

February 22, 2023

The Seven Sages (of Greece) or Seven Wise Men (Greek: οἱ ἑπτὰ σοφοί hoi hepta sophoi) was the title given by classical Greek tradition to seven philosophers, statesmen, and law-givers of the 7–6th century BC who were renowned for their wisdom.

Mosaic of the Seven Sages, Baalbeck, 3rd century A.D., National Museum of Beirut. Calliope at the center, and clockwise from top: Socrates, Chilon, Pittacus, Periander, Cleobulus (damaged section), Bias, Thales, and Solon.

The Seven Sages

 
The Seven Sages, depicted in the Nuremberg Chronicle

Typically the list of the seven sages includes:

Diogenes Laërtius points out, however, that there was among his sources great disagreement over which figures should be counted among the seven.[1] Perhaps the two most common substitutions were to exchange Periander or Anacharsis for Myson. On Diogenes' first list of seven, which he introduces with the words "These men are acknowledged wise", Periander appears instead of Myson;[2] the same substitution appears in The Masque of the Seven Sages by Ausonius.[3] Both Ephorus[1] and Plutarch (in his Banquet of the Seven Sages) substituted Anacharsis for Myson. Diogenes Laërtius further states that Dicaearchus gave ten possible names,[1] Hippobotus suggested twelve names,[4] and Hermippus enumerated seventeen possible sages from which different people made different selections of seven.[4] Leslie Kurke contends that "Aesop was a popular contender for inclusion in the group"; an epigram of the 6th century AD poet Agathias (Palatine Anthology 16.332) refers to a statue of the Seven Sages, with Aesop standing before them.[5]

Interpretations

In Plato's Protagoras, Socrates says:

There some, both at present and of old, who recognized that Spartanizing is much more a love of wisdom than a love of physical exercise, knowing that the ability to utter such [brief and terse] remarks belongs to a perfectly educated man. Among these were Thales of Miletus, and Pittacus of Mytilene, and Bias of Priene, and our own Solon, and Cleobulus of Lindus, and Myson of Chenae, and the seventh of them was said to be Chilon of Sparta. They all emulated and admired and were students of Spartan education, could tell their wisdom was of this sort by the brief but memorable remarks they each uttered when they met and jointly the first fruits of their wisdom to Apollo in his shrine at Delphi, writing what is on every man's lips: Know thyself, and Nothing too much. Why do I say this? Because this was the manner of philosophy among the ancients, a kind of laconic brevity.[6]

The section of the Protagoras in which appears this passage is "elaborately ironical", making it unclear which of its parts may be taken seriously,[7]

Diogenes Laërtius writes in his account of the life of Pyrrho, the founder of Pyrrhonism, that the Seven Sages of Greece were considered to be precursors of Pyrrho's philosophical skepticism because the Delphic Maxims were skeptical. "The maxims of the Seven Wise Men, too, they call skeptical; for instance, 'Observe the Golden Mean', and 'A pledge is a curse at one's elbow', meaning that whoever plights his troth steadfastly and trustfully brings a curse on his own head."[8]

Sources and legends

The oldest[9] explicit mention on record of a standard list of seven sages is in Plato's Protagoras, quoted above.

Diogenes Laërtius reported that there were seven individuals who were held in high esteem for their wisdom well before Plato's time. According to Demetrius Phalereus, it was during the archonship of Damasias (582/81 BC) that the seven first become known as "the wise men", Thales being the first so acknowledged.[10]

Later tradition ascribed to each sage a pithy saying of his own, but ancient as well as modern scholars have doubted the legitimacy of such ascriptions.[11] A compilation of 147 maxims, inscribed at Delphi, was preserved by the fifth century AD scholar Stobaeus as "Sayings of the Seven Sages",[12] but "the actual authorship of the ... maxims set up on the Delphian temple may be left uncertain. Most likely they were popular proverbs, which tended later to be attributed to particular sages."[13]

In addition to being credited for pithy sayings, the wise men were also apparently famed for practical inventions; in Plato's Republic (600a), it is said that it "befits a wise man" to have "many inventions and useful devices in the crafts or sciences" attributed to him, citing Thales and Anacharsis the Scythian as examples.

According to a number of moralistic stories, there was a golden tripod (or, in some versions of the story, a bowl or cup) which was to be given to the wisest. Allegedly, it passed in turn from one of the seven sages to another, beginning with Thales, until one of them (either Thales or Solon, depending on the story) finally dedicated it to Apollo who was held to be wisest of all.[14]

According to Diogenes, Dicaearchus claimed that the seven "were neither wise men nor philosophers, but merely shrewd men, who had studied legislation."[15] And according to at least one modern scholar, the claim is correct: "With the exception of Thales, no one whose life is contained in [Diogenes'] Book I [i.e. none of the above] has any claim to be styled a philosopher."[16]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Diogenes Laërtius, i. 41
  2. ^ Diogenes Laërtius, i. 13
  3. ^ Ausonius, The Masque of the Seven Sages
  4. ^ a b Diogenes Laërtius, i. 42
  5. ^ Leslie Kurke, Aesopic Conversations: Popular Tradition, Cultural Dialogue, and the Invention of Greek Prose, Princeton University Press, 2010, pp. 131–32, 135.
  6. ^ Protagoras 342e–343b, trans. R.E. Allen.
  7. ^ p. 156, James Adam, Platonis Protagoras, Cambridge University Press, 1893; p. 83, C.C.W. Taylor, Plato: Protagoras, Oxford University Press, 2002. The words "elaborately ironical" are Adam's.
  8. ^ Diogenes Laërtius, Lives of the Eminent Philosophers Book IX, Chapter 11, Section 71
  9. ^ A. Griffiths, "Seven Sages", in Oxford Classical Dictionary (3rd ed.). All the sources are collected in Bruno Snell, Leben und Meinungen der Sieben Weisen. Griechische und lateinische Quellen erläutert und übertragen. Munich, 1971.
  10. ^ Kirk, Raven, & Schofield, The Presocratic Philosophers (Cambridge, 1983, 2nd edition), p. 76, citing Diogenes Laërtius, i. 22.
  11. ^ H. Parke and D. Wormell, The Delphic Oracle, (Basil Blackwell, 1956), vol. 1, pp. 387–389.
  12. ^ Kurke, p. 109.
  13. ^ Parke & Wormell, p. 389.
  14. ^ Diogenes Laërtius i. 27ff.; R. Martin, "Seven Sages", Encyclopedia of Classical Philosophy (ed. D. Zeyl, 1997), p. 487; Parke & Wormell, pp. 387–388
  15. ^ Diogenes Laërtius, i. 40.
  16. ^ p. 42 note a, R. Hicks, Diogenes Laërtius: Lives of Eminent Philosophers, vol. 1, Harvard University Press, 1925.

External links

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Seven Sages.
  •   Laërtius, Diogenes (1925). "Book I: The Seven Sages" . Lives of the Eminent Philosophers. Vol. 1:1. Translated by Hicks, Robert Drew (Two volume ed.). Loeb Classical Library.
  • Plutarch's The Dinner of the Seven Wise Men, in the Loeb Classical Library.
  • with illustrations and further links.
  • Jona Lendering's article Seven Sages includes a chart of various canonical lists.
  • Sentences of the Seven Sages
  • Fragment of a poem in which the Seven Wise Men were mentioned together, from Oxyrhynchus Papyri

February 22, 2023
seven, sages, greece, seven, sages, greece, seven, wise, greek, οἱ, ἑπτὰ, σοφοί, hepta, sophoi, title, given, classical, greek, tradition, seven, philosophers, statesmen, givers, century, were, renowned, their, wisdom, mosaic, seven, sages, baalbeck, century, . The Seven Sages of Greece or Seven Wise Men Greek oἱ ἑptὰ sofoi hoi hepta sophoi was the title given by classical Greek tradition to seven philosophers statesmen and law givers of the 7 6th century BC who were renowned for their wisdom Mosaic of the Seven Sages Baalbeck 3rd century A D National Museum of Beirut Calliope at the center and clockwise from top Socrates Chilon Pittacus Periander Cleobulus damaged section Bias Thales and Solon Contents 1 The Seven Sages 2 Interpretations 3 Sources and legends 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksThe Seven Sages Edit The Seven Sages depicted in the Nuremberg Chronicle Typically the list of the seven sages includes Thales of Miletus c 624 BC c 546 BC is the first well known Greek philosopher mathematician and astronomer His advice Know thyself was engraved on the front facade of the Temple of Apollo in Delphi Pittacus of Mytilene c 640 BC c 568 BC governed Mytilene Lesbos He tried to reduce the power of the nobility and was able to govern with the support of the demos whom he favoured Bias of Priene fl 6th century BC was a politician and legislator of the 6th century BC Solon of Athens c 638 BC c 558 BC was a famous legislator and reformer from Athens framing the laws that shaped the Athenian democracy The fifth and sixth sage are variously given as two of Cleobulus tyrant of Lindos fl c 600 BC reported as either the grandfather or father in law of Thales Periander of Corinth b before 634 BC d c 585 BC Myson of Chenae 6th century BC Anacharsis the Scythian 6th century BC Chilon of Sparta fl 555 BC was a Spartan politician to whom the militarization of Spartan society was attributed Diogenes Laertius points out however that there was among his sources great disagreement over which figures should be counted among the seven 1 Perhaps the two most common substitutions were to exchange Periander or Anacharsis for Myson On Diogenes first list of seven which he introduces with the words These men are acknowledged wise Periander appears instead of Myson 2 the same substitution appears in The Masque of the Seven Sages by Ausonius 3 Both Ephorus 1 and Plutarch in his Banquet of the Seven Sages substituted Anacharsis for Myson Diogenes Laertius further states that Dicaearchus gave ten possible names 1 Hippobotus suggested twelve names 4 and Hermippus enumerated seventeen possible sages from which different people made different selections of seven 4 Leslie Kurke contends that Aesop was a popular contender for inclusion in the group an epigram of the 6th century AD poet Agathias Palatine Anthology 16 332 refers to a statue of the Seven Sages with Aesop standing before them 5 Interpretations EditIn Plato s Protagoras Socrates says There some both at present and of old who recognized that Spartanizing is much more a love of wisdom than a love of physical exercise knowing that the ability to utter such brief and terse remarks belongs to a perfectly educated man Among these were Thales of Miletus and Pittacus of Mytilene and Bias of Priene and our own Solon and Cleobulus of Lindus and Myson of Chenae and the seventh of them was said to be Chilon of Sparta They all emulated and admired and were students of Spartan education could tell their wisdom was of this sort by the brief but memorable remarks they each uttered when they met and jointly the first fruits of their wisdom to Apollo in his shrine at Delphi writing what is on every man s lips Know thyself and Nothing too much Why do I say this Because this was the manner of philosophy among the ancients a kind of laconic brevity 6 The section of the Protagoras in which appears this passage is elaborately ironical making it unclear which of its parts may be taken seriously 7 Diogenes Laertius writes in his account of the life of Pyrrho the founder of Pyrrhonism that the Seven Sages of Greece were considered to be precursors of Pyrrho s philosophical skepticism because the Delphic Maxims were skeptical The maxims of the Seven Wise Men too they call skeptical for instance Observe the Golden Mean and A pledge is a curse at one s elbow meaning that whoever plights his troth steadfastly and trustfully brings a curse on his own head 8 Sources and legends EditThe oldest 9 explicit mention on record of a standard list of seven sages is in Plato s Protagoras quoted above Diogenes Laertius reported that there were seven individuals who were held in high esteem for their wisdom well before Plato s time According to Demetrius Phalereus it was during the archonship of Damasias 582 81 BC that the seven first become known as the wise men Thales being the first so acknowledged 10 Later tradition ascribed to each sage a pithy saying of his own but ancient as well as modern scholars have doubted the legitimacy of such ascriptions 11 A compilation of 147 maxims inscribed at Delphi was preserved by the fifth century AD scholar Stobaeus as Sayings of the Seven Sages 12 but the actual authorship of the maxims set up on the Delphian temple may be left uncertain Most likely they were popular proverbs which tended later to be attributed to particular sages 13 In addition to being credited for pithy sayings the wise men were also apparently famed for practical inventions in Plato s Republic 600a it is said that it befits a wise man to have many inventions and useful devices in the crafts or sciences attributed to him citing Thales and Anacharsis the Scythian as examples According to a number of moralistic stories there was a golden tripod or in some versions of the story a bowl or cup which was to be given to the wisest Allegedly it passed in turn from one of the seven sages to another beginning with Thales until one of them either Thales or Solon depending on the story finally dedicated it to Apollo who was held to be wisest of all 14 According to Diogenes Dicaearchus claimed that the seven were neither wise men nor philosophers but merely shrewd men who had studied legislation 15 And according to at least one modern scholar the claim is correct With the exception of Thales no one whose life is contained in Diogenes Book I i e none of the above has any claim to be styled a philosopher 16 See also EditSage sophos SaptarishiReferences Edit a b c Diogenes Laertius i 41 Diogenes Laertius i 13 Ausonius The Masque of the Seven Sages a b Diogenes Laertius i 42 Leslie Kurke Aesopic Conversations Popular Tradition Cultural Dialogue and the Invention of Greek Prose Princeton University Press 2010 pp 131 32 135 Protagoras 342e 343b trans R E Allen p 156 James Adam Platonis Protagoras Cambridge University Press 1893 p 83 C C W Taylor Plato Protagoras Oxford University Press 2002 The words elaborately ironical are Adam s Diogenes Laertius Lives of the Eminent Philosophers Book IX Chapter 11 Section 71 A Griffiths Seven Sages in Oxford Classical Dictionary 3rd ed All the sources are collected in Bruno Snell Leben und Meinungen der Sieben Weisen Griechische und lateinische Quellen erlautert und ubertragen Munich 1971 Kirk Raven amp Schofield The Presocratic Philosophers Cambridge 1983 2nd edition p 76 citing Diogenes Laertius i 22 H Parke and D Wormell The Delphic Oracle Basil Blackwell 1956 vol 1 pp 387 389 Kurke p 109 Parke amp Wormell p 389 Diogenes Laertius i 27ff R Martin Seven Sages Encyclopedia of Classical Philosophy ed D Zeyl 1997 p 487 Parke amp Wormell pp 387 388 Diogenes Laertius i 40 p 42 note a R Hicks Diogenes Laertius Lives of Eminent Philosophers vol 1 Harvard University Press 1925 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Seven Sages Laertius Diogenes 1925 Book I The Seven Sages Lives of the Eminent Philosophers Vol 1 1 Translated by Hicks Robert Drew Two volume ed Loeb Classical Library Plutarch s The Dinner of the Seven Wise Men in the Loeb Classical Library Seven Sages of Greece with illustrations and further links Jona Lendering s article Seven Sages includes a chart of various canonical lists Sentences of the Seven Sages Fragment of a poem in which the Seven Wise Men were mentioned together from Oxyrhynchus Papyri Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Seven Sages of Greece amp oldid 1136188554, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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