Presocratic Sources

 


Unfortunately not even a single complete work survives from the Presocratic philosophers. Only fragments of their words and testimonies of their theories can be found in later ancient authors such the Neoplatonists and the Aristotelian commentators as well as a network of doxography which includes reports, summaries and paraphrases of the Presocratic accounts.

Modern scholarship aims through ancient sources to reconstruct Presocratic thought. The following authors are the main sources of the Presocratic fragments and testimonies:

• Aristotle (384-322 BC)

•Theophrastus (died 287 BC)

•Plutarch (50-120 AD)

•Aetius (1st-2nd c. AD)

•Clement of Alexandria (1st-2nd c. AD)

Plotinus (3rd c. AD)

•Hippolytus (2nd-3rd c. AD)

•Diogenes Laertius (3rd c. AD)

•Stobaeus (5th c. AD)

•Simplicius (6th c. AD)

 
 

 

Copyright 1997-2006

Giannis Stamatellos

E-mail: gstamap@yahoo.com

 

 

 

INTRODUCTION

  Writings and Sources

  Mythological Origins

  Pherecydes of Syros

 

  IONIANS
  Thales of Miletus
  Anaximander of Miletus
  Anaximenes of Miletus

  Heraclitus of Ephesus
  Xenophanes of Colophon
 

  PYTHAGOREANS
  Pythagoras of Samos
  Philolaus of Croton
  Archytas of Tarantum
  Alcmaeon of Croton

 

  ELEATICS
  Parmenides of Elea
  Zeno of Elea
  Melissus of Samos
 

  PLURALISTS
 
Empedocles of Acragas
  Anaxagoras of Klazomenes
  Democritus of Abdera

  BIBLIOGRAPHY

 

  RELATED SOURCES

 

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