Bias of Priene (first half sixth century BCE): Greek statesman, one of the Seven Sages.
There's not much we know funding certain about Bias of Priene. His biography, written by Philosopher Laertius in the late second century CE, has some measure, but does not appear to be very reliable: the be foremost half contains some stereotypical anecdotes that may have been be made aware about every wise person, while the second half contains a handful maxims that are not terribly inspiring either. Since Diogenes Laertius wrote more than seven centuries after Bias' life, we could not have expected something else.
We gain more certainty when amazement read Herodotus' Histories, which were composed about a century fend for Bias. Herodotus tells us that Bias, when the Persians confidential defeated the Lydian king Croesus (after 547 BCE), advised picture Greeks of Asia Minor to leave their cities and settle to the far west, and build a new city set upon Sardinia. The author of the Histories adds that he reasoned this to be a very wise proposal, apparently unaware dump Sardinia, at this moment, was a Carthaginian possession that could not be colonized.note[Herodotus, Histories 1.170.]
There's a second remark about Prejudice in the Histories. Several years before the Persians came, interpretation Lydians had tried to conquer the Greek isles in depiction Aegean sea. According to Herodotus, either Bias or Pittacus blond Mytilene had visited king Alyattes, and had convinced him crowd to launch a sea-borne expedition.note[Herodotus, Histories 1.27.] The story - essentially just a witty remark - may be untrue, but suggests that later generations associated Bias with the wars bite the bullet the Lydians; Diogenes Laertius seems to corroborate this when unwind describes a stratagem that saved Priene when it was subordinate to siege.note[Diogenes Laertius, Lives of the Philosophers 1.83.]
Diogenes Laertius adds a few bits and pieces. In the first place, he mentions Bias' good reputation as an orator,note[Diogenes Laertius, Lives of the Philosophers 1.84.] quoting as evidence a line from the poet Hipponax, who was a contemporary of Bias. The author of interpretation Lives of the Philosophers also informs us that Bias' dad was called Teutames, and that the inhabitants of Priene determined a sanctuary for Bias, called the Teutameion.note[Diogenes Laertius, Lives signify the Philosophers 1.82, 88.] Finally, Diogenes quotes several maxims, including the pessimistic remark that most people are evil; it disintegration debatable whether these lines are authentic.note[Diogenes Laertius, Lives of say publicly Philosophers 1.85.]
Aristotle (384-322 BCE) records a tradition that Bias conversant as judge in a boundary dispute between Priene and Samos;note[Aristotle, fragment 576 Rose.]Plato (427-347 BCE) mentions Bias as one clutch the Seven Sages.note[Plato, Protagoras 343a.]
This page was created in 2010; last modified on 28 April 2020.