Ἀναξαγόρας
Anaxagoras
Translated by Malcolm Heath25 Feb 2000Vetting: high6 revisions
Translation
A sophist, son of Hegesibulus, of Clazomenae. He was nicknamed 'Mind', since he said that matter and mind are the guardian of all things. This is the man who said that the sun is a red-hot mass.1
That is, a fiery stone.
He was exiled from Athens, [despite] Pericles speaking in his defence, and he came to Lampsacus and there he starved himself to death. He put an end to his life at the age of 70, because he had been put in prison by [the] Athenians on the grounds that he was trying to introduce a novel belief about god. [It is said] that Anaxagoras at Olympia, during a dry period, came to the stadium in a sheepskin; it is said that he did this to forecast rain.2 And he foretold very many other things. This man, who came from Clazomenae, gave over his property to both cattle and camels. Apollonius of Tyana said of him that he was more a philosopher for beasts than for human beings.3 Crates of Thebes4 threw his property into the sea, doing something of no advantage either to beasts or to human beings.
That is, a fiery stone.
He was exiled from Athens, [despite] Pericles speaking in his defence, and he came to Lampsacus and there he starved himself to death. He put an end to his life at the age of 70, because he had been put in prison by [the] Athenians on the grounds that he was trying to introduce a novel belief about god. [It is said] that Anaxagoras at Olympia, during a dry period, came to the stadium in a sheepskin; it is said that he did this to forecast rain.2 And he foretold very many other things. This man, who came from Clazomenae, gave over his property to both cattle and camels. Apollonius of Tyana said of him that he was more a philosopher for beasts than for human beings.3 Crates of Thebes4 threw his property into the sea, doing something of no advantage either to beasts or to human beings.
Greek original · Adler’s text
Ἀναξαγόρας, σοφιστὴς, Ἡγησιβούλου υἱὸς, Κλαζομένιος. Νοῦς δὲ ἐπεκαλεῖτο, ἐπειδὴ ὕλην καὶ νοῦν πάντων φρουρὸν εἶπεν. οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ τὸν ἥλιον εἰπὼν μύδρον διάπυρον. τουτέστι πύρινον λίθον. ἔφυγε δὲ ἐξ Ἀθηνῶν, Περικλέους αὐτῷ συνειπόντος, καὶ ἐλθὼν ἐν Λαμψάκῳ ἐκεῖσε καταστρέφει τὸν βίον ἀποκαρτερήσας. ἐξήγαγε δὲ τοῦ ζῆν ἑαυτὸν ἐτῶν οʹ, διότι ὑπ' Ἀθηναίων ἐνεβλήθη ἐν δεσμωτηρίῳ, οἷά τινα καινὴν δόξαν τοῦ θεοῦ παρεισφέρων. ὅτι Ἀναξαγόρας Ὀλυμπίασιν, ὁπότε ἥκιστα ὕοι, προελθὼν ὑπὸ κῳδίῳ ἐς τὸ στάδιον ἐπὶ προρρήσει ὄμβρου λέγεται τοῦτο πεπραχέναι. καὶ ἄλλα δὲ πλεῖστα προλέγων. οὗτος, Κλαζομένιος ὢν, ἀγέλαις τε καὶ καμήλοις τὰ ἑαυτοῦ ἀνῆκε. περὶ τούτου ἔφη Ἀπολλώνιος ὁ Τυανεὺς προβάτοις μᾶλλον ἢ ἀνθρώποις φιλοσοφῆσαι. ὁ δὲ Θηβαῖος Κράτης κατεπόντωσε τὴν οὐσίαν, οὔτε προβάτοις ποιήσας ἐπιτήδειον, οὔτε ἀνθρώποις.
Betacode
*)anacago/ras, sofisth\s, *(hghsibou/lou ui(o\s, *klazome/nios. *nou=s de\ e)pekalei=to, e)peidh\ u(/lhn kai\ nou=n pa/ntwn frouro\n ei)=pen. ou(=to/s e)stin o( to\n h(/lion ei)pw\n mu/dron dia/puron. toute/sti pu/rinon li/qon. e)/fuge de\ e)c *)aqhnw=n, *perikle/ous au)tw=| suneipo/ntos, kai\ e)lqw\n e)n *lamya/kw| e)kei=se katastre/fei to\n bi/on a)pokarterh/sas. e)ch/gage de\ tou= zh=n e(auto\n e)tw=n o#, dio/ti u(p' *)aqhnai/wn e)neblh/qh e)n desmwthri/w|, oi(=a/ tina kainh\n do/can tou= qeou= pareisfe/rwn. o(/ti *)anacago/ras *)olumpi/asin, o(po/te h(/kista u(/oi, proelqw\n u(po\ kw|di/w| e)s to\ sta/dion e)pi\ prorrh/sei o)/mbrou le/getai tou=to pepraxe/nai. kai\ a)/lla de\ plei=sta prole/gwn. ou(=tos, *klazome/nios w)\n, a)ge/lais te kai\ kamh/lois ta\ e(autou= a)nh=ke. peri\ tou/tou e)/fh *)apollw/nios o( *tuaneu\s proba/tois ma=llon h)\ a)nqrw/pois filosofh=sai. o( de\ *qhbai=os *kra/ths katepo/ntwse th\n ou)si/an, ou)/te proba/tois poih/sas e)pith/deion, ou)/te a)nqrw/pois.
Notes (4)
- See generally RE Anaxagoras (4); NP Anaxagoras; OCD4 Anaxagoras; DK 59; Diogenes Laertius 2.6-15.↩
- 1This first paragraph of the entry reproduces most of Harpocration (and Photius) s.v.; cf. nu 523. ↩
- 2Apparently quoted loosely from Philostratus, Life of Apollonius 1.2.22-26. See also kappa 2216 and note 9 there. ↩
- 3alpha 3420, Apollonius. See Philostratus, Life of Apollonius 1.2.13. Philostratus has, more plausibly, sheep or goats (melois) instead of camels (kamelois). ↩
- 4kappa 2341, Crates.
References
Patricia Curd, Anaxagoras of Clazomenae. Fragments and Testimonia. A Text and Translation with Notes and Essays (Phoenix supplement 44: Toronto 2007)
Linked from6 entries
- α1155ἌλειονAleion, HaleionThe shrine of Helios according to Rhodians. It [also?] means water. Also [sc. attested is] "Aleios Zeus".
- α3336Ἀποκαρτερήσανταhaving killed oneself by abstinence[Meaning him] having taken himself out of life by starvation or by hanging. "[sc. It is said that] Lycurgus the Spartan lawgiver, after laying down the laws, came into Crete and killed himself by abstinence, so that he…
- α3420ἈπολλώνιοςApollonios, ApolloniusOf Tyana, philosopher, son of Apollonios and a mother from that town, members of the gentry. With him in her womb, his mother saw a genius standing near saying that he himself was the child she was carrying, and that he…
- α4084ἈρχέλαοςArchelaos, ArchelausSon of Apollodorus or of Midon; a Milesian, a philosopher, called a 'natural philosopher' with respect to his philosophical school.. [It is on record] that he was the first to introduce natural philosophy from Ionia. He…
- β557ΒροχήrainSee under Anaxagoras for the rainstorm which occurred according to Anaxagoras' prediction.
- ε102ἜγκλισιςinclinationAnaxagoras says [...] so that the pole which is always visible was directly above the earth, but later it acquired its inclination. That is, a deviation.
Neighbouring entries
Revision history6 revisions · last 30 Jul 2014
- updated a ref — David Whitehead
- more keywords — David Whitehead
- added bibliographical item — David Whitehead
- augmented notes and keywords; cosmetics — David Whitehead
- Inserted x-ref as new n.2 — Robert Dyer
- cosmetics — David Whitehead
- Translated — Malcolm Heath