Posidonius
Sign in to savePosidonius (; , "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
AI overview
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.
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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
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
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.