List of ancient Greek philosophers

This list of ancient Greek philosophers contains philosophers who studied in ancient Greece or spoke Greek. Ancient Greek philosophy began in Miletus with the pre-Socratic philosopher Thales^[1][2] and lasted through Late Antiquity. Some of the most famous and influential philosophers of all time were from the ancient Greek world, including Socrates, Plato and Aristotle.

↵Abbreviations used in this list:

• c. = circa
• fl. = flourished

Name	Life	School	Notes
Acrion	5th/4th century BC	Pythagorean	visited by Plato
Adrastus of Aphrodisias	2nd century AD	Peripatetic	wrote commentaries on Aristotle's works and a commentary on Plato's Timaeus
Aedesia	5th century	Neoplatonic	wife of Hermias, and mother of Ammonius and Heliodorus
Aedesius	3rd/4th century	Neoplatonic	studied under Iamblichus before founding his own school in Pergamum
Aeneas of Gaza	5th/6th century	Neoplatonic	Christian convert who studied under Hierocles
Aenesidemus	1st century BC?	Pyrrhonist	wrote a book called Pyrrhonist Discourses which became a central text for the Pyrrhonists
Aesara	5th/4th century BC	Pythagorean	wrote On Human Nature, of which a fragment is preserved by Stobaeus
Aeschines of Neapolis	2nd/1st century BC	Academic skeptic	shared the leadership of the Academy at Athens together with Charmadas and Clitomachus about 110 BC
Aeschines of Sphettus	5th/4th century BC	Socratic	part of Socrates' circle and likely present at his death
Aetius	4th century AD	Peripatetic	Antiochean convert to Christianity who studied in Alexandria
Agapius	5th/6th century AD	Neoplatonic	studied under Marinus of Neapolis. known for his learning
Agathobulus	1st/2nd century AD	Cynic	known for his severe asceticism and teacher of Demonax
Agathosthenes	uncertain date	geographer, historian or philosopher	referred to by Tzetzes as his authority in matters connected with geography.
Agrippa the Skeptic	1st/2nd century AD	Pyrrhonist	thought to be the creator of the "five grounds of doubt"
Albinus	2nd century AD	Middle Platonist
Alcibiades	450-404 BC	Socratic	Athenian General and Politician
Alcinous	2nd century AD?	Middle Platonist
Alcmaeon of Croton	5th century BC	Pythagorean	interested in medicine
Alexamenus of Teos	5th century BC?	Socratic	may have been the first to write philosophical dialogues
Alexander of Aegae	1st century AD	Peripatetic	tutored the emperor Nero
Alexander of Aphrodisias	2nd/3rd century AD	Peripatetic	influential commentator on the Corpus Aristotelicum
Alexicrates	1st/2nd century AD	Pythagorean
Alexinus	4th/3rd century BC	Megarian	founded his own school which did not fare well
Amelius	3rd century AD	Neoplatonic	student of Plotinus who wrote voluminously
Ammonius Hermiae	5th/6th century AD	Neoplatonic
Ammonius of Athens	1st century AD	Middle Platonist	teacher of Plutarch
Ammonius Saccas	2nd/3rd century AD	Neoplatonic	Plotinus' teacher
Anaxagoras	5th century BC	Pluralist
Anaxarchus	4th century BC	Atomist	first Greek to attempt the problem of squaring the circle
Anaxilaus	1st century BC / 1st century AD	Pythagorean	Banished from Rome for practising magic
Anaximander	7th/6th century BC	Milesian	First to conceive a mechanical model of the world
Anaximenes of Miletus	6th century BC	Milesian
Androcydes	2nd century BC?	Pythagorean
Andronicus of Rhodes	1st century BC	Peripatetic
Anniceris	4th/3rd century BC	Cyrenaic
Antiochus of Ascalon	2nd/1st century BC	Middle Platonist
Antipater of Cyrene	4th century BC	Cyrenaic
Antipater of Tarsus	2nd century BC	Stoic
Antipater of Tyre	1st century BC	Stoic
Antisthenes	5th/4th century BC	Cynic
Antoninus	4th century AD	Neoplatonic
Apollodorus of Athens	2nd century BC	Stoic
Apollodorus of Seleucia	2nd century BC	Stoic
Apollodorus the Epicurean	2nd century BC	Epicurean
Apollonius Cronus	4th century BC	Megarian
Apollonius of Tyana	1st century AD	Neopythagorean
Apollonius of Tyre	1st century BC	Stoic
Arcesilaus	4th/3rd century BC	Academic skeptic
Archedemus of Tarsus	2nd century BC	Stoic
Archelaus	5th century BC	Pluralist
Archytas	5th/4th century BC	Pythagorean
Arete of Cyrene	4th century BC	Cyrenaic
Arignote	6th/5th century BC	Pythagorean
Aristarchus of Samos	4th/3rd century BC	Academic skeptic	presented the first known model that placed the Sun at the center of the known universe with the Earth revolving around it.
Aristippus	5th/4th century BC	Cyrenaic
Aristippus the Younger	4th century BC	Cyrenaic
Aristoclea	fl. 6th century BC
Aristocles of Messene	1st century AD?	Peripatetic
Aristocreon	3rd/2nd century BC	Stoic
Aristo of Alexandria	2nd /1st century BC	Peripatetic
Aristo of Ceos	3rd/2nd century BC	Peripatetic
Aristo of Chios	4th/3rd century BC	Stoic
Aristotle	4th century BC	Peripatetic	founder of Peripatetic school; student of Plato
Aristotle of Cyrene	4th/3rd century BC	Cyrenaic
Aristotle of Mytilene	2nd century AD	Peripatetic
Aristoxenus	4th century BC	Peripatetic
Arius Didymus	1st century BC	Stoic
Asclepiades of Phlius	4th/3rd century BC	Eretrian
Asclepiades the Cynic	4th century AD	Cynic
Asclepigenia	5th/6th century AD	Neoplatonic
Asclepiodotus	1st century BC
Asclepiodotus of Alexandria	5th century AD	Neoplatonic
Aspasius	2nd century AD	Peripatetic
Athenaeus of Seleucia	1st century BC	Peripatetic
Athenodoros Cananites	1st century BC	Stoic
Athenodoros Cordylion	2nd /1st century BC	Stoic
Athenodorus of Soli	3rd century BC	Stoic
Attalus	1st century BC - 1st century AD	Stoic
Atticus	2nd century AD	Middle Platonist
Basilides (Stoic)	2nd century BC	Stoic	Denied the existence of incorporeal entities
Basilides the Epicurean	3rd/2nd century BC	Epicurean	Succeeded Dionysius of Lamptrai as the head of the Epicurean school at Athens
Batis of Lampsacus	3rd century BC	Epicurean
Bion of Borysthenes	4th/3rd century BC	Cynic	Once was a slave, later to be released
Boethus [ca]	4th century BC	Platonist
Boethus the Epicurean [ca; gl]	1st century AD	Epicurean
Boethus of Sidon	1st century BC	Peripatetic
Boethus of Sidon	2nd century BC	Stoic
Bolus of Mendes	fl. 3rd century BC	Pythagorean
Brontinus	fl. 6th century BC	Pythagorean
Bryson of Achaea	fl. 330 BC	Megarian
Callicles	5th century BCE	Sophist?
Calliphon	2nd century BC	Peripatetic
Calliphon of Croton	6th century BC	Pythagorean
Callistratus	fl. 3rd century AD	Sophist
Carneades	c. 214 – 129/8 BC	Academic skeptic
Carneiscus	c. 300 BC	Epicurean
Cassius Longinus	c. 213–273	Middle Platonist
Cebes	c. 430–350 BC	Pythagorean
Celsus	2nd century
Cercidas	3rd century BC	Cynic
Cercops		Pythagorean
Chaerephon	c. 470/460 – 403/399 BCE	Socratic
Chamaeleon	350-275 BC	Peripatetic
Charmadas	164 - c. 95 BC	Academic skeptic
Chrysanthius	fl. 4th century	Neoplatonic
Chrysippus	279-206 BC	Stoic
Cleanthes	330-230 BC	Stoic
Clearchus of Soli	4th/3rd century BC (fl. 320 BC)	Peripatetic
Cleinias of Tarentum	4th century BC	Pythagorean
Cleomedes		Stoic
Cleomenes	fl. c. 300 BC	Cynic
Clinomachus	4th century BC	Megarian
Clitomachus	187 - 109 BC	Academic skeptic
Colotes	320-268 BC	Epicurean
Crantor	born c. 350 BC	Academic Platonist
Crates of Athens	died 268-265 BC	Academic Platonist
Crates of Mallus	fl. 2nd century BC	Stoic
Crates of Thebes	c. 365 – c. 285 BC	Cynic	husband of Hipparchia of Maroneia
Cratippus of Pergamon	1st century BC	Peripatetic	friend of Cicero
Cratylus	5th century BC	Ephesian
Crescens the Cynic	2nd century	Cynic
Crinis	1st/2nd century BC	Stoic
Critolaus	c. 200 – c. 118 BC	Peripatetic
Cronius	fl. 2nd century A.D.	Neopythagorean
Damascius	born c. 458, died after 538	Neoplatonic
Damis	1st/2nd century A.D.	Neopythagorean
Damo	5th century BC	Pythagorean	reportedly the daughter of Pythagoras and Theano
Dardanus of Athens	160-85 BC	Stoic	one of the several leaders of Stoa after the death of Panaetius
Demetrius Lacon	fl. late 2nd century BC	Epicurean
Demetrius of Amphipolis	fl. 4th century BC	Academic Platonist
Demetrius Phalereus	c. 350 – c. 280 BC	Peripatetic	Governed Athens
Demetrius the Cynic	fl. 1st century	Cynic
Democrates	unknown	Pythagorean?
Democritus	c. 460 – c. 370 BC	Presocratic, Atomist
Demonax		Cynic
Dexippus	fl. 350	Neoplatonic
Diagoras of Melos		Sophist
Dicaearchus		Peripatetic
Dio of Alexandria	fl. 1st century BC	Academic skeptic
Dio Chrysostom		Sophist
Diocles of Cnidus	fl. 3rd or 2nd century BC?	Academic Platonist
Diodorus Cronus		Megarian
Diodorus of Adramyttium	fl. 1st century BC	Academic skeptic
Diodorus of Aspendus		Pythagorean
Diodorus of Tyre		Peripatetic
Diodotus		Stoic
Diogenes of Apollonia		Presocratic
Diogenes of Babylon		Stoic
Diogenes of Oenoanda		Epicurean
Diogenes of Seleucia		Epicurean
Diogenes of Sinope	412/404 - 323 BC	Cynic	Lived in a clay wine jar
Diogenes of Tarsus		Epicurean
Dionysius of Chalcedon		Megarian
Dionysius of Cyrene		Stoic
Dionysius of Lamptrai		Epicurean
Dionysius the Renegade		Stoic	abandoned Stoicism for Cyrenaicism
Dios	fl. 7th century BC ?	Pythagorean
Diotima of Mantinea
Diotimus		Stoic
Domninus of Larissa	c. 420 - c. 480	Neoplatonic
Echecrates		Pythagorean
Ecphantus		Pythagorean
Empedocles		Presocratic, Pluralist
Epicharmus of Kos		Pythagorean
Epictetus		Stoic	wrote The Enchiridion, a handbook of Stoic ethical advice
Epicurus		Epicurean	said that the purpose of philosophy was to attain tranquility characterized by ataraxia
Eubulides		Megarian
Euclid of Megara		Megarian
Eudemus of Rhodes		Peripatetic
Eudorus of Alexandria		Peripatetic
Eudoxus of Cnidus	410/408 – 355/347 BC	Academic Platonist
Euenus		Sophist
Euphantus		Megarian
Euphraeus
Euphrates		Stoic
Eurytus		Pythagorean
Eusebius of Myndus	fl. 4th century	Neoplatonic
Eustathius of Cappadocia	c. 400	Neoplatonic
Evander	fl. c. 215 - c. 205	Academic skeptic
Favorinus		Academic skeptic
Gaius the Platonist	fl. 2nd century	Middle Platonist
Geminus		Stoic
Gorgias		Sophist
Hagnon of Tarsus	fl. 2nd century BC	Academic skeptic
Hecataeus of Abdera		Pyrrhonist
Hecato of Rhodes		Stoic
Hegesias of Cyrene		Cyrenaic
Hegesinus of Pergamon	fl. c. 160 BC	Academic skeptic
Hegias	fl. c. 500	Neoplatonic
Heliodorus of Alexandria	fl. 5th century	Neoplatonic
Heraclides Lembus
Heraclides Ponticus	387 - 312 BC	Academic Platonist
Heraclitus		Presocratic, Ephesian	claimed that "You cannot step in the same river twice" and "All is fire."
Heraclius		Cynic
Herillus of Carthage		Stoic
Hermagoras of Amphipolis		Stoic
Hermarchus		Epicurean
Hermias	born c. 410 - died c. 450	Neoplatonic
Herminus		Peripatetic
Hermippus of Smyrna		Peripatetic
Hermotimus of Clazomenae
Hicetas		Pythagorean
Hierius	fl c. 500	Neoplatonic
Hierocles of Alexandria	fl. c. 430	Neoplatonic
Hierocles (Stoic)	2nd century CE	Stoic
Hieronymus of Rhodes	c. 290 – c. 230 BC	Peripatetic
Himerius		Sophist
Hipparchia of Maroneia	fl. c. 325 BC	Cynic	Genus of butterflies, Hipparchia (butterfly), named after her
Hippasus		Pythagorean
Hippias		Sophist
Hippo	5th century BC	Presocratic
Horus		Cynic
Hypatia of Alexandria	born 350-370 – 415	Neoplatonic
Iamblichus	c. 245-c. 325	Neoplatonic
Ichthyas		Megarian
Idomeneus of Lampsacus		Epicurean
Ion of Chios		Pythagorean
Isidore of Alexandria	fl. c. 475	Neoplatonic
Jason of Nysa		Stoic
Lacydes of Cyrene	before 241 - c. 205 BC	Academic skeptic
Leonteus of Lampsacus		Epicurean
Leontion		Epicurean
Leucippus		Presocratic, Atomist
Lyco of Iasos		Pythagorean
Lyco of Troas		Peripatetic
Lycophron		Sophist
Lysis of Taras		Pythagorean
Marinus of Neapolis	born c. 450	Neoplatonic
Maximus of Ephesus	died 372	Neoplatonic
Maximus of Tyre	fl. 2nd century	Middle Platonist
Meleager of Gadara		Cynic
Melissus of Samos		Presocratic, Eleatic
Menedemus		Eretrian
Menedemus of Pyrrha	fl. c. 350 BC	Academic Platonist
Menedemus the Cynic		Cynic
Menippus		Cynic
Metrocles		Cynic
Metrodorus of Athens
Metrodorus of Chios		Atomist
Metrodorus of Cos		Pythagorean
Metrodorus of Lampsacus (the elder)		Presocratic
Metrodorus of Lampsacus (the younger)		Epicurean
Metrodorus of Stratonicea	fl. 2nd century BC	Academic skeptic
Mnesarchus of Athens		Stoic
Moderatus of Gades		Neopythagorean
Monimus		Cynic
Myia		Pythagorean
Nausiphanes		Atomist
Nicarete of Megara		Megarian
Nicolaus of Damascus
Nicomachus		Neopythagorean
Nicomachus (son of Aristotle)		Peripatetic
Numenius of Apamea	fl. c. 275	Neopythagorean
Nymphidianus of Smyrna	fl. c. 360	Neoplatonic
Ocellus Lucanus		Pythagorean
Oenomaus of Gadara		Cynic
Olympiodorus the Elder		Peripatetic
Olympiodorus the Younger	c. 495-570	Neoplatonic
Onasander	fl. 1st century	Middle Platonist
Onatas		Pythagorean
Origen the Pagan	fl. c. 250	Middle Platonist
Panaetius		Stoic
Pancrates of Athens		Cynic
Panthoides		Megarian
Parmenides of Elea		Presocratic, Eleatic	held that the only thing that exists is being itself; teacher of Zeno of Elea
Pasicles of Thebes		Megarian
Patro the Epicurean		Epicurean
Peregrinus Proteus		Cynic
Persaeus		Stoic
Phaedo of Elis		Eretrian	Originally founded the School of Elis; it was later transferred to Eretria by his pupil Menedemus.
Phaedrus		Epicurean
Phanias of Eresus		Peripatetic
Phanto of Phlius		Pythagorean
Philip of Opus	fl. 4th century BC	Academic
Philiscus of Aegina		Cynic
Philiscus of Thessaly		Sophist
Philo	20 BC - 50 AD	Middle Platonist
Philo of Larissa	159/158 – 84/83 BC	Academic skeptic
Philo the Dialectician		Megarian
Philodemus		Epicurean
Philolaus		Pythagorean
Philonides of Laodicea		Epicurean
Philostratus		Sophist
Phintys		Pythagorean
Plato	428/427 - 348/347 BC	Academic	student of Socrates and teacher of Aristotle; famous for the Theory of Forms
Plotinus	c. 204 – 270	Neoplatonic
Plutarch	c. 46 – 120	Middle Platonist
Plutarch of Athens	c. 350 – 430	Neoplatonic
Polemarchus
Polemon of Athens		Stoic
Polemon of Athens (scholarch)	before 314 - 270/269 BC	Academic
Polemon of Laodicea		Sophist
Polus
Polyaenus of Lampsacus		Epicurean
Polystratus		Epicurean
Porphyry	234 – c. 305	Neoplatonic	taught by Plotinus; wrote the Isagoge, an introduction to Aristotle's "Categories",
Posidonius		Stoic
Potamo of Alexandria		Eclecticism
Praxiphanes		Peripatetic
Priscian of Lydia	fl. c. 550	Neoplatonic
Priscus of Epirus	c. 305-c. 395	Neoplatonic
Proclus	412 – 485	Neoplatonic
Proclus of Laodicea
Proclus Mallotes		Stoic
Prodicus		Sophist
Protagoras		Sophist
Ptolemy-el-Garib	fl. c. 300 AD	Peripatetic
Pyrrho		Pyrrhonist	credited as being the first skeptic philosopher
Pythagoras	c. 570 – c. 495 BC	Pythagorean	Credited with discovering the Pythagorean theorem
Sallustius		Neoplatonic
Sallustius of Emesa		Cynic
Satyrus		Peripatetic
Secundus the Silent		Cynic
Sextus of Chaeronea
Sextus Empiricus		Pyrrhonist
Simmias of Thebes		Pythagorean
Simon the Shoemaker		Socratic
Simplicius of Cilicia	c. 490 - c. 560	Neoplatonic
Siro		Epicurean
Socrates	c. 470–399 BC	Socratic	considered one of the founders of Western philosophy; credited as being the first moral philosopher
Sopater of Apamea	died before 337	Neoplatonic
Sosigenes		Peripatetic
Sosipatra	fl. c. 325	Neoplatonic
Sotion		Neopythagorean
Speusippus	c. 407 – 339 BC	Academic
Sphaerus		Stoic
Stilpo		Megarian
Strato of Lampsacus		Peripatetic
Syrianus	died c. 437	Neoplatonic
Telauges		Pythagorean
Telecles of Phocis	died 167/166 BC	Academic skeptic
Teles the Cynic		Cynic
Thales	c. 626/623  – c. 548/545 BC	Presocratic, Milesian	first philosopher; held that the first principle (arche) is water; one of the Seven Sages of Greece
Theagenes of Patras		Cynic
Theano		Pythagorean
Themista of Lampsacus		Epicurean
Themistius		Neoplatonic
Theodorus of Asine	fl. 3rd century	Neoplatonic
Theodorus the Atheist	c. 340 – c. 250 BCE	Cyrenaic
Theon of Smyrna		Neopythagorean
Theophrastus		Peripatetic
Thrasymachus		Sophist
Thrasymachus of Corinth		Megarian
Timaeus of Locri		Pythagorean
Timaeus the Sophist	fl. between 1st and 4th centuries	Middle Platonist
Timon		Pyrrhonist
Timycha		Pythagorean
Tisias		Sophist
Xenarchus of Seleucia		Peripatetic
Xeniades		Pyrrhonist
Xenocrates	c. 396 – 314 BC	Academic
Xenophanes of Colophon		Presocratic, Eleatic	claimed that if oxen were able to imagine gods, those gods would be in the image of oxen
Xenophilus		Pythagorean	friend and teacher of Aristoxenus
Xenophon
Zenobius	2nd century A.D.	Sophist	flourished in the times of the emperor Hadrian
Zenodotus	fl. c. 475	Neoplatonic	described as "the darling of Proclus"
Zeno of Citium	334-262 BC	Stoic	founder of the Stoic school of philosophy
Zeno of Elea		Presocratic, Eleatic	famous creator of Zeno's paradoxes
Zeno of Sidon	150-75 BC	Epicurean	sometimes termed the "leading Epicurean"
Zeno of Tarsus	fl. 200 BC	Stoic

See also

• List of ancient Platonists
• List of Cynic philosophers
• List of Epicurean philosophers
• List of Stoic philosophers

References

1. Aristotle, Metaphysics Alpha, 983b18.
2. Russell, Bertrand. "The History of Western Philosophy." 1945

External links

• "Greek philosophy" at the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
• "Presocratic philosophy" at the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy