Philonides ( grc-gre, Φιλωνίδης, c. 200 – c. 130 BCE) of

Laodicea in Syria Laodicea ( grc, Λαοδίκεια) was a port city and an important colonia of the Roman Empire in ancient Syria, located near the modern city of Latakia. It was also called Laodicea in Syria or Laodicea ad mare. For a short period of time un ...

, was an

Epicurean Epicureanism is a system of philosophy founded around 307 BC based upon the teachings of the ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus. Epicureanism was originally a challenge to Platonism. Later its main opponent became Stoicism. Few writings by Epi ...

philosopher and

mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change. History On ...

who lived in the

Seleucid The Seleucid Empire (; grc, Βασιλεία τῶν Σελευκιδῶν, ''Basileía tōn Seleukidōn'') was a Greek state in West Asia that existed during the Hellenistic period from 312 BC to 63 BC. The Seleucid Empire was founded by the ...

court during the reigns of

Antiochus IV Epiphanes Antiochus IV Epiphanes (; grc, Ἀντίοχος ὁ Ἐπιφανής, ''Antíochos ho Epiphanḗs'', "God Manifest"; c. 215 BC – November/December 164 BC) was a Greek Hellenistic king who ruled the Seleucid Empire from 175 BC until his deat ...

and

Demetrius I Soter Demetrius I (Greek: ''Δημήτριος Α`'', 185 – June 150 BC), surnamed Soter (Greek: ''Σωτήρ'' - "Savior"), reigned as king (basileus) of the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire from November 162 – June 150 BC. Demetrius grew up in Rome a ...

. He is known principally from a ''Life of Philonides'', which was discovered among the charred

papyrus Papyrus ( ) is a material similar to thick paper that was used in ancient times as a writing surface. It was made from the pith of the papyrus plant, '' Cyperus papyrus'', a wetland sedge. ''Papyrus'' (plural: ''papyri'') can also refer to a ...

scrolls at the

Villa of the Papyri The Villa of the Papyri ( it, Villa dei Papiri, also known as ''Villa dei Pisoni'' and in early excavation records as the ''Villa Suburbana'') was an ancient Roman villa in Herculaneum, in what is now Ercolano, southern Italy. It is named after ...

Herculaneum Herculaneum (; Neapolitan and it, Ercolano) was an ancient town, located in the modern-day ''comune'' of Ercolano, Campania, Italy. Herculaneum was buried under volcanic ash and pumice in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. Like the nea ...

. Philonides was born into a family with good connections with the Seleucid court.Dov Gera, (1998), ''Judaea and Mediterranean Politics, 219 to 161 B.C.E.'', page 274. BRILL He is said to have been taught by Eudemus and

Dionysodorus Dionysodorus of Caunus ( grc-gre, Διονυσόδωρος ὁ Καύνειος, c. 250 BC – c. 190 BC) was an ancient List of Greek mathematicians, Greek mathematician. Life and work Little is known about the life of Dionysodorus. Pliny the E ...

the mathematician.Ian Mueller, ''Geometry and scepticism'', in Jonathan Barnes, (2005), ''Science and Speculation: Studies in Hellenistic Theory and Practice'', page 94. Cambridge University Press. Philonides attempted to convert Antiochus IV Epiphanes to

Epicureanism Epicureanism is a system of philosophy founded around 307 BC based upon the teachings of the ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus. Epicureanism was originally a challenge to Platonism. Later its main opponent became Stoicism. Few writings by Epi ...

, and later instructed his nephew, Demetrius I Soter, in philosophy. Philonides was highly honoured in the court, and he is also known from various stone inscriptions.Dewitt, (1999), ''Epicurus and His Philosophy'', pages 119–120. U of Minnesota Press He was renowned as a mathematician, and is mentioned by

Apollonius of Perga Apollonius of Perga ( grc-gre, Ἀπολλώνιος ὁ Περγαῖος, Apollṓnios ho Pergaîos; la, Apollonius Pergaeus; ) was an Ancient Greek geometer and astronomer known for his work on conic sections. Beginning from the contribution ...

in the preface to the second book of his ''Conics''.Apollonius, I 192.7–11 Philonides was a zealous collector of the works of

Epicurus Epicurus (; grc-gre, Ἐπίκουρος ; 341–270 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher and sage who founded Epicureanism, a highly influential school of philosophy. He was born on the Greek island of Samos to Athenian parents. Influenced ...

and his colleagues, and is said to have published over 100 treatises, probably compilations of the works he collected.H. Gregory Snyder, (2000), ''Teachers and Texts in the Ancient World'', pages 49–50. Routledge

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Philonides of Laodicea 2nd-century BC Greek people 2nd-century BC philosophers Ancient Greek mathematicians Epicurean philosophers Hellenistic-era philosophers from Syria People from Latakia Syrian philosophers Syrian mathematicians 2nd-century BC mathematicians