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Pythagoras: Ancient Pythagoreans
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Pythagoras was born in the island of Samos in ancient Greece. There are no good records regarding the life of Pythagoras, so the exact dates and other issues are not known with certainty. But, it is believed that it was around 570 BC. His first teacher was Pherecydes, and Pythagoras stayed in touch with him until Pherecydes' death. When Pythagoras was about 18 years old, he went to the island of Lesbos. There, he worked and learned from Anaximander, an astronomer and philosopher, and Thales of Miletus, a very wise philosopher and mathematician.
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Pythagoras (560 – 480 B. C.) Pythagoras was born on the Aegean island Samos. He was a student of Anaximander or Thales. He immigrated to southern Italy in 529 B.C. Pythagoras developed a cult like following. But unlike other cults, Pythagoreanism focused on the mystery of numbers and astronomy. Pythagoreans were supposes to have vowed themselves to secrecy concerning irrational numbers and believed that the whole universe depended on the properties of numbers. He is most know for proving that the square of the length of the hypotenuse of a right triangle is equal to the sum of the squares of the lengths of the other sides.
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One of Pythagoras's major accomplishments was the discovery that music was based on proportional intervals of the numbers one through four. He believed that the number system, and therefore the universe system, was based on the sum of these numbers: ten. Pythagoreans swore by the Tetrachtys of the Decad, or ten, rather than by the gods. Odd numbers were masculine and even were feminine. He discovered the theory of mathematical proportions, constructed from three to five geometrical solids. One of his order, Hippasos... discovered irrational numbers, but the idea was unthinkable to Pythagoras, and according to one version this member was executed. Pythagoras (or the Pythagoreans) also discovered square numbers.
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The teachings of Pythagoras were influential on both the Gnostic and Neoplatonic movements. The Pythagorean doctrine sharply distinguishes between thought and sense, soul and body, the mathematical form of things and their physical appearances. For the Pythagoreans, the Universe was mathematical harmony, and all phenomena were sensuous expressions of mathematical ratios. Their conception of God was as a supreme, intelligent and imperceptible spirit, pervading all Nature, and imbuing it with life. They believed in reincarnation of an immortal soul, and their system of ethics was based on the restoration of harmony out of the confusion of the senses. They recommended ascetic practices to engender the serenity and tranquility necessary to achieve perfect harmony.
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Pythagoras was among the early Greek philosophers. He is said to have visited Thales and studied with Anaximander. He traveled to Egypt and Mesopotamia, learning the basics of philosophy, science, and mathematics. After returning to Samos and teaching there, he moved to Croton (Crotone, Italy). There he formed a secret society of men and women who shared their knowledge of science and mathematics. Today they are known as Pythagoreans.
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Pythagoras was born on the Greek Island of Samos. He traveled around the known world visiting Babylonia and Egypt along with seeing other parts of Greece. Early on in his life several other philosophers, such as Anaximander majorly influenced him. Pythagoras was a patron of the ancient Greek Olympic games, even though he criticized them. He died at some point around the turn of the century in Metapontion.
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Ancient Pythagoreans