Pyrilampes ( grc-gre,
Πυριλάμπης) was an
ancient Athenian politician and stepfather of the
philosopher
A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...
Plato
Plato ( ; grc-gre, Πλάτων ; 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was a Greek philosopher born in Athens during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. He founded the Platonist school of thought and the Academy, the first institution ...
. His dates of birth and death are unknown, but
Debra Nails
Debra Nails (born November 15, 1950) is an American philosophy professor who taught at Michigan State University. Nails earned her M.A. in philosophy and classical Greek from Louisiana State University before going on to earn a Ph.D. in philosophy ...
estimates he must have been born after 480 BC and died before 413 BC.
[D. Nails, "Pyrilampes", 257–258]
Career
Pyrilampes served many times as an ambassador to the
Persian court and was a friend of
Pericles
Pericles (; grc-gre, Περικλῆς; c. 495 – 429 BC) was a Greek politician and general during the Golden Age of Athens. He was prominent and influential in Athenian politics, particularly between the Greco-Persian Wars and the Pelopo ...
, the leader of the democratic faction in Athens.
[Plato, ''Charmides']
158a
br>* Plutarch, ''Pericles'', IV He was injured at the
Battle of Delium
The Battle of Delium (or Delion, a city in Boeotia) took place in 424 BC, during the Peloponnesian War. It was fought between the Athenians and the Boeotians, who were allies of the Spartans, and ended with the siege of Delium in the following we ...
in 424 BC, when he was in his mid-fifties.
[D. Nails, "Pyrilampes", 258] Pyrilampes raised and showed
peacock
Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera ''Pavo (genus), Pavo'' and ''Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female pea ...
s, gifts he had received on his
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...
n embassies. Plutarch states accusations against Pyrilampes, according to which he used the peacocks to procure freeborn women for Pericles.
[Plutarch, ''Pericles'', IV]
Personal life
Pyrilampes appears to have married his first wife in the late 440s;
he had a son from this marriage, Demus, who was famous for his beauty.
[Plato, ''Gorgias']
481d
an
513b
br>* Aristophanes, ''Wasps''
97
/ref> Around 423 BC, Pyrilampes was widowed and so was free to marry his niece, Perictione Perictione ( grc-gre, Περικτιόνη ''Periktiónē''; fl. 5th century BC) was the mother of the Greek philosopher Plato.
She was a descendant of Solon, the Athenian lawgiver. Her illustrious family goes back to Dropides, archon of the year ...
, Plato's mother. Perictione gave birth to Pyrilampes' second son, Antiphon, the half-brother of Plato, who appears in ''Parmenides
Parmenides of Elea (; grc-gre, Παρμενίδης ὁ Ἐλεάτης; ) was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher from Elea in Magna Graecia.
Parmenides was born in the Greek colony of Elea, from a wealthy and illustrious family. His dates a ...
'' in which he is said to have given up philosophy to devote most of his time to horses.[Plato, ''Parmenides']
126c
/ref>
Citations
References
* ''See original text i
Perseus program
'.
*
*. See original text i
Perseus program
* ''See original text i
Perseus program
'.
* ''See original text i
Perseus program
'.
* See original text i
Perseus program
{{refend
5th-century BC Athenians
Family of Plato
5th-century BC births
5th-century BC deaths
Ambassadors in Greek Antiquity