Timeline
This is a list of Stoic philosophers, ordered (roughly) by date. [Note: Some other philosophers like Socrates and Cynics were the big influencers in Stoicism and are founded quoted by the stoics] The criteria for inclusion in this list are fairly mild. See also Category:Stoic philosophers .
| Name | Period | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 3rd Century BC | ||
| Zeno of Citium | (c. 334–262 BC) | Founder of the Stoic school in Athens (c. 300 BC) |
| Persaeus | (306–243 BC) | Pupil and friend of Zeno |
| Aratus of Soli | (c. 315–c. 245 BC) | Pupil of Zeno and poet |
| Athenodorus of Soli | fl. 275 BC) | Pupil of Zeno and brother of Aratus |
| Aristo of Chios | (c. 310–c. 240 BC) | Pupil of Crates, leaned towards Cynicism |
| Apollophanes of Antioch | (fl. 250 BC) | Stoic philosopher, friend of Aristo of Chios |
| Dionysius the Renegade | (c. 325–c. 250 BC) | Pupil of Zeno who became a Cyrenaic |
| Sphaerus | (c. 285–c. 210 BC) | Pupil of Zeno – moved to Sparta and Alexandria |
| Herillus of Carthage | (fl. 250 BC) | Pupil of Zeno, who held that knowledge was the highest good |
| Cleanthes | (of Assos) (331–232 BC) | Second leader of the Stoic school |
| Eratosthenes (of Cyrene) | (fl. 225 BC) | Pupil of Aristo. Chief librarian at Alexandria |
| Hermagoras of Amphipolis | fl. c. 225 BC) | Stoic philosopher and follower of Persaeus of Citium |
| Chrysippus (of Soli) | (c. 280–c. 206 BC) | Third leader of the Stoic school. Wrote 705 books |
| Dioscorides (Stoic) | (fl. 225 BC) | Pupil of Chrysippus. Father of Zeno of Tarsus |
| Aristocreon | (fl. 210 BC) | Nephew of Chrysippus |
| 2nd Century BC | ||
| Zeno of Tarsus | (fl. 200 BC) | Fourth leader of the Stoic school |
| Crates of Mallus | (fl. 175 BC) | Grammarian. Head of the library at Pergamon |
| Diogenes of Babylon | (c. 230–c. 150 BC) | Fifth leader of the Stoic school |
| Zenodotus (Stoic) | (fl. 150 BC) | Pupil of Diogenes of Tite |
| Apollodorus of Seleucia | (fl. 150 BC) | Pupil of Diogenes of Babylon |
| Basilides (Stoic) | (fl. c. 150 BC) | Denied the existence of incorporeal entities |
| Antipater of Tarsus | (c. 200–129 BC) | Sixth leader of the Stoic school |
| Apollodorus of Athens | (fl. 150 BC) | Historian. Pupil of Diogenes and Antipater of Tarsus |
| Archedemus of Tarsus | (fl. 140 BC) | Founded a Stoic school at Babylon |
| Panaetius of Rhodes | (185–109 BC) | Seventh and last undisputed leader of the Stoic school |
| Boethus of Sidon | (fl. 150 BC) | Pupil of Diogenes |
| Polemon of Athens | (fl. 150 BC) | Geographer, follower of Panaetius |
| Gaius Blossius | (fl. 133 BC) | Pupil of Antipater of Tarsus, insurgent of in the revolt of Aristonikos |
| Marcus Vigellius | (fl. 125 BC) | Stoic who lived with Panaetius |
| Heraclides of Tarsus | (fl. 125 BC) | Pupil of Antipater of Tarsus |
| Dardanus | (c. 160–c. 90 BC) | Leading figure in the Stoic school in Athens |
| Mnesarchus | (c. 160–c. 90 BC) | Leading figure in the Stoic school in Athens |
| Publius Rutilius Rufus | (158–c. 75 BC) | Statesman, orator and historian. Pupil of Panaetius |
| Stilo | (c. 154–74 BC) | Grammarian and scholar |
| Dionysius of Cyrene | (fl. c. 125 BC) | Leading figure in the Stoic school in Athens |
| Quintus Lucilius Balbus | (fl. c. 125 BC) | Stoic philosopher, and a pupil of Panaetius |
| Hecato of Rhodes | (fl. 100 BC) | Pupil of Panaetius, wrote about ethics |
| Diotimus the Stoic | (fl. 100 BC) | Stoic who slandered Epicurus |
| 1st Century BC | ||
| Posidonius (of Apamea) | (c. 135–51 BC) | A philosopher, astronomer, and geographer |
| Crinis | (fl. uncertain) | Stoic who wrote about logic |
| Proclus of Mallus | (fl. uncertain) | Stoic philosopher and writer |
| Diodotus the Stoic | (c. 130–59 BC) | Stoic teacher of Cicero who lived in Cicero's house |
| Geminus of Rhodes | (c. 110–c. 40 BC) | Astronomer and mathematician |
| Athenodoros Cordylion | (c. 130–60 BC) | Librarian at Pergamon, lived with Cato |
| Apollonius of Tyre (philosopher) | (fl. 50 BC) | Stoic philosopher who wrote a biography of Zeno |
| Cato the Younger | (95–46 BC) | Statesman who opposed Julius Caesar |
| Antipater of Tyre | (c. 100–45 BC) | Friend of Cato. Wrote about practical ethics |
| Porcia Catonis | (c. 70–43 BC) | Female Stoic, daughter of Cato the Younger |
| Apollonides | (fl. 46 BC) | Stoic philosopher whom Cato consulted before committing suicide |
| Jason of Nysa | (fl. 50 BC) | Grandson of Posidonius |
| Athenodoros Cananites | (c. 74 BC–7 AD) | Pupil of Posidonius. Teacher of Augustus |
| Quintus Sextius | (fl. 40 BC) | Set up a school teaching Stoicism mixed with Pythagoreanism |
| Arius Didymus (of Alexandria) | (fl. 10 BC) | Collected excerpts from earlier Stoic writers |
| 1st Century AD | ||
| Attalus (Stoic) | (fl. 25 AD) | Stoic philosopher frequently visited by Seneca |
| Papirius Fabianus | (fl. 30 AD) | Teacher of Seneca. Rhetorician and philosopher |
| Lucius Annaeus Seneca | (c. 4 BC–65 AD) | Statesman, philosopher, and playwright. Many of his works are extant |
| Thrasea Paetus | (c. 10 AD–66 AD) | Roman senator and Stoic |
| Lucius Annaeus Cornutus | (c. 20–c. 70 AD) | Stoic teacher who wrote a Compendium of Greek Theology |
| Chaeremon of Alexandria | (fl. 50 AD) | Stoic philosopher and grammarian. Librarian at Alexandria |
| Paconius Agrippinus | (fl. 60 AD) | Stoic philosopher spoken of with praise by Epictetus |
| Publius Egnatius Celer | (fl. 60 AD) | Stoic philosopher. Informer in the reign of Nero |
| Persius | (34–62 AD) | Stoic philosopher, poet and satirist |
| Helvidius Priscus | (fl. 65 AD) | Stoic philosopher and statesman |
| Arulenus Rusticus | (c. 30–93 AD) | Statesman. Friend and pupil of Thrasea Paetus |
| Musonius Rufus | (c. 25–c. 90 AD) | Taught Epictetus. Some of his lectures are extant |
| Fannia | (c. 100 AD) | Another female Stoic |
| Euphrates the Stoic | (c. 35–118 AD) | Philosopher, orator and pupil of Musonius Rufus |
| 2nd Century AD | ||
| Epictetus (of Hierapolis) | (c. 55–c. 135 AD) | Pupil of Musonius Rufus. His Discourses and Enchiridion are extant |
| Hierocles (Stoic) | (fl. 150 AD) | Philosopher wrote "Elements of Ethics" |
| Flavius Arrianus | (c. 90–175 AD) | Historian and pupil of Epictetus |
| Basilides of Scythopolis | (fl. 150 AD) | Teacher of Marcus Aurelius |
| Apollonius of Chalcedon | (fl. 150 AD) | Stoic teacher of Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus |
| Claudius Maximus | (fl. 150 AD) | Stoic philosopher and friend of Marcus Aurelius |
| Junius Rusticus | (c. 100–c. 170 AD) | Philosopher and Consul. Adviser of Marcus Aurelius |
| Marcus Aurelius | (121–180 AD) | Roman Emperor from 161–180 AD. His philosophical notebook, Meditations is extant |
Zeno of Citium was a Hellenistic philosopher from Citium, Cyprus. He was the founder of the Stoic school of philosophy, which he taught in Athens from about 300 BC. Based on the moral ideas of the Cynics, Stoicism laid great emphasis on goodness and peace of mind gained from living a life of virtue in accordance with nature. It proved very popular, and flourished as one of the major schools of philosophy from the Hellenistic period through to the Roman era, and enjoyed revivals in the Renaissance as Neostoicism and in the current era as Modern Stoicism.
Crates of Thebes was a Greek Cynic philosopher, the principal pupil of Diogenes of Sinope and the husband of Hipparchia of Maroneia who lived in the same manner as him. Crates gave away his money to live a life of poverty on the streets of Athens. Respected by the people of Athens, he is remembered for being the teacher of Zeno of Citium, the founder of Stoicism. Various fragments of Crates' teachings survive, including his description of the ideal Cynic state.
Menippus of Gadara was a Cynic satirist. The Menippean satire genre is named after him. His works, all of which are lost, were an important influence on Varro and Lucian, who ranks Menippus with Antisthenes, Diogenes, and Crates as among the most notable of the Cynics.
The Megarian school of philosophy, which flourished in the 4th century BC, was founded by Euclides of Megara, one of the pupils of Socrates. Its ethical teachings were derived from Socrates, recognizing a single good, which was apparently combined with the Eleatic doctrine of Unity. Some of Euclides' successors developed logic to such an extent that they became a separate school, known as the Dialectical school. Their work on modal logic, logical conditionals, and propositional logic played an important role in the development of logic in antiquity.
Aristo of Chios, also spelled Ariston, was a Greek Stoic philosopher and colleague of Zeno of Citium. He outlined a system of Stoic philosophy that was, in many ways, closer to earlier Cynic philosophy. He rejected the logical and physical sides of philosophy endorsed by Zeno and emphasized ethics. Although agreeing with Zeno that Virtue was the supreme good, he rejected the idea that morally indifferent things such as health and wealth could be ranked according to whether they are naturally preferred. An important philosopher in his day, his views were eventually marginalized by Zeno's successors.
Ancient Roman philosophy is philosophy as it was practiced in the Roman Republic and its successor state, the Roman Empire. Roman philosophy includes not only philosophy written in Latin, but also philosophy written in Greek in the late Republic and Roman Empire. Important early Latin-language writers include Lucretius, Cicero, and Seneca the Younger. Greek was a popular language for writing about philosophy, so much so that the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius chose to write his Meditations in Greek.
An abolla was a cloak-like garment worn by ancient Greeks and Romans. Nonius Marcellus quotes a passage of Varro to show that it was a garment worn by soldiers, and thus opposed to the toga. Roman women also wore a version of the abolla by at least the imperial period.
This is a list of lists of philosophers, organized by subarea, nationality, religion, and time period.
Apollodorus of Seleucia, or Apollodorus Ephillus, was a Stoic philosopher, and a pupil of Diogenes of Babylon.
This page is a list of topics in ancient philosophy.
Quintus Junius Rusticus, was a Roman teacher and politician. He was probably a grandson of Arulenus Rusticus, who was a prominent member of the Stoic Opposition. He was a Stoic philosopher and was one of the teachers of the emperor Marcus Aurelius, whom Aurelius treated with the utmost respect and honour.
Oenomaus of Gadara, was a Pagan Cynic philosopher. He is known principally for the long extracts of a work attacking oracles, which have been preserved among the writings of Eusebius of Caesarea.
Bryson of Achaea was an ancient Greek philosopher.
Cynicism is a school of thought in ancient Greek philosophy, originating in the Classical period and extending into the Hellenistic and Roman Imperial periods. According to Cynicism, people are reasoning animals, and the purpose of life and the way to gain happiness is to achieve virtue, in agreement with nature, following one's natural sense of reason by living simply and shamelessly free from social constraints. The Cynics rejected all conventional desires for wealth, power, glory, social recognition, conformity, and worldly possessions and even flouted such conventions openly and derisively in public.
Stoicism is a school of Hellenistic philosophy that flourished in Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. The Stoics believed that the practice of virtue is enough to achieve eudaimonia: a well-lived life. The Stoics identified the path to achieving it with a life spent practicing the four cardinal virtues in everyday life — prudence, fortitude, temperance, and justice — as well as living in accordance with nature. It was founded in the ancient Agora of Athens by Zeno of Citium around 300 BCE.
The philosophy of happiness is the philosophical concern with the existence, nature, and attainment of happiness. Some philosophers believe happiness can be understood as the moral goal of life or as an aspect of chance; indeed, in most European languages the term happiness is synonymous with luck. Thus, philosophers usually explicate on happiness as either a state of mind, or a life that goes well for the person leading it. Given the pragmatic concern for the attainment of happiness, research in psychology has guided many modern-day philosophers in developing their theories.
