The Seven Sages (of Greece) (c. 620 BCE–550 BCE) was primarily the title given by Greek tradition to seven men of note considered to be wise. The major questions are, who considered them to be wise, on what basis, and why the number seven. Centuries: 8th century BC - 7th century BC - 6th century BC Decades: 670s BC 660s BC 650s BC 640s BC 630s BC - 620s BC - 610s BC 600s BC 590s BC 580s BC 570s BC Events and Trends 627 BC - Death of Assurbanipal, king of Assyria; he is succeeded by Assur_etel_ilani (approximate... Centuries: 7th century BC - 6th century BC - 5th century BC Decades: 600s BC - 590s BC - 580s BC - 570s BC - 560s BC - 550s BC - 540s BC - 530s BC - 520s BC - 510s BC - 500s BC Events and Trends Carthage conquers Sicily, Sardinia and Corsica 559 BC - King Cambyses I of Anshan dies...

The wisdom of the sages

Sages and sagacity descend from remote prehistoric times, and are found in all cultures. Claims by Greek writers that the seven sages, or any sages, represent a first in sagacity could be viewed as somewhat brash.

The context of sagacity

The Iliad (3.146) has its sages, such as Oukalegon and Antenor, two Trojan demogerontes ("senators") who were "both sage", pepnumeno ampho, in the dual number. Pepnumeno is related to pneuma, "breath, spirit" and has the morphology of a stative, a current state resulting from a perfected action; that is, at some point they were inspired by divinity and remain so in public life. The Iliad (Ancient Greek , Ilias) is, together with the Odyssey, one of the two principal ancient Greek epic poems. ... Antenor was an Athenian sculptor, of the latter part of the 6th century BC. He was the creator of the joint statues of the tyrannicides Harmodius and Aristogeiton, set up by the Athenians on the expulsion of Hippias. ...

From the beginning of literature a sage was never wise as a private individual (idios) but always in some social way. He was a success, a famous man, a man of stature and note, who had a kleos, a reputation. At the same time he was not to have such brashness, or arrogance (hybris), as to ascribe this wisdom to his own abilities. Deity must take the credit. This duality led to a social tension. Later the cynics were to bark and howl at the stereotype of fame from their location in the streets.

At the time the seven appeared the word for wise man was sophos (adjectival substantive) or sophistes (produced noun), both with a short o in soph-. The root is not of securely known origin, although Brugmann reconstructed an Indo-European root, *tuoguhos. It might not be Indo-European and the root is not widely accepted.

The seven sages in Greek were the hepta sophoi or hepta sophistai, which translates into Latin as septem sapientes (among other words). The root is from Indo-European *sep-, "taste, perceive". The Roman sage was a perceptive man rather than, or perhaps as well as, an inspired one. Note that the Greek root *soph- may also come from the IR root *sep-, just as does the Latin root *sap-.

Sophistes (plural sophistai) forms an agent noun from the adjective, sophos. The sophist dispensed wisdom professionally. The concept was honorable until Socrates seized it and gave it a fatal shake. Socrates restored the humility of the view that wisdom was inspired and was nothing you could teach.

The sagacity of action

The seven appeared at a time of incipient reunification of the Greek city states after a time of civil disorder and population displacements consequent on the fall of Mycenaean civilization. Unity was expressed in such common institutions as the Panhellenic Games and the oracle at Delphi. There were many oracles, and more than one of Apollo (god of truth), but Delphi was preferred, perhaps because of its central, sheltered and scenic location, and was fast rising to dominance. Mycenaean can have the following meanings: coming from or belonging to the ancient town of Mycenae in Pelloponese in Greece; belonging to the culture of the Mycenaean period of the eastern Mediterranean in the late Bronze Age; the Mycenaean language, an ancient form of Greek, known from inscriptions in Linear... Panhellenic Games is the collective term for four separate sports festivals held in ancient Greece. ... An oracle is a person or agency considered to be a source of wise counsel or prophetic opinion; an infallible authority, usually spiritual in nature. ... The amphitheatre, seen from above. ... Lycian Apollo, early Imperial Roman copy of a fourth century Greek original (Louvre Museum) In Greek and Roman mythology, Apollo (Greek: Απόλλων, Apóllōn; or Απελλων, Apellōn), the ideal of the kouros,[1] was the archer-god of medicine and healing and also a bringer of death-dealing plague; as...

The times required men of action. Ordinary people were illiterate and did not have the time or patience for the lengthy considerations of indecisive men. They mistrusted the literate, running playwrights out of town, burning the Pythagorean schools and assassinating the Pythagoreans, and characterizing the philosophers as fools with their heads in the clouds, or being so stupid as to step into a well while looking at the stars. Look at the earth around you, they said. Pay attention to earning money. And yet, it was on these people that the burden of constructing the new Hellas fell. Greece, formally called the Hellenic Republic (Greek: Ελληνική Δημοκρατία), is a country in the southeast of Europe on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula. ...

The successful and dominant Dorians had brought a succinct and somewhat hard-boiled tradition of action with them from up-country. For example, when emissaries came from the Persian Great King demanding earth and water from Sparta as a token of submission, the Spartans threw them into a well, exclaiming "dig it out yourselves." This article or section should include material from Dorian invasion The Dorians were one of the ancient Hellenic (Greek) races. ... For other uses of this term see: Persia (disambiguation) The Persian Empire is the name used to refer to a number of historic dynasties that have ruled the country of Persia (Iran). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

This technique was admired everywhere. Poetry grew shorter and epigrammatic. The tombstones became eloquent. Nutshell advice was sought from the oracles, who were happy to comply. The Pythia, as she was called, when asked a question (and paid for the answer) would come under the influence of an intoxicating substance in the temple (perhaps natural gas) and make an utterance, which would be made readable and versified by the priests. The Pythia was the priestess presiding over the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi, located on the slopes of Mount Parnassus. ...

These succinct utterances never gave a direct answer. They were always in the form of an ainigma, or riddle. The meaning would then be unfolded by action. The oracle, in a sense, gave you the authority of solving your own problem by not telling you what to do. If it went wrong, then you guessed wrong. It is the privilege of free men of action that they make and pay for their own mistakes. The Greeks loved it.

The Greeks valued the true and the effective, but they wanted it simple, and they wanted it now. In response to the need arose the paroimion, Latin proverbium, a simple principle of truth and action. A body of these developed, the koinai gnomai, "common knowledge", put forth as the sagacity of the sages. Aristophanes, the comedian, in Knights (348), depicts the democratic sausage-monger giving a speech around the theme of a paroimion and then pacing the streets all night long repeating it over and over in triumph. Bust of Aristophanes Aristophanes (Greek: ΄Αριστοφανης, c. ... A comedian, or comic, is an entertainer who amuses an audience by making them laugh. ...

Temple of Apollo at Delphi.

To the seven sages were attributed the most memorable of the pithy maxims. The best were engraved in the pronaon of the temple of Apollo at Delphi, as dedications to the god of truth. Pausanias (10.24.1) lists the sages as stated below. The maxims have been filled in from other sources. Pausanias mentions two: "know thyself" and "nothing in excess" without telling us who said them. Photo of temple of Apollo at Delphi, taken October 1992 by Stan Shebs and licensed under GFDL, 650px across File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Photo of temple of Apollo at Delphi, taken October 1992 by Stan Shebs and licensed under GFDL, 650px across File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

The standard list is:

• Solon of Athens - "Nothing in excess"
• Chilon of Sparta - "Know thyself"
• Thales of Miletus - "To bring surety brings ruin"
• Bias of Priene - "Too many workers spoil the work"
• Cleobulus of Lindos - "All moderation is impeccable"
• Pittacus of Mitylene - "Know thine opportunity"
• Periander of Corinth - "Forethought in all things"

Pausanias must have seen the engravings, as he wanted to substitute Myson of Chenae, who appears in Plato's list, instead of Periander, a tyrant. This is evidence that the basis of selection was not general wisdom but the ability to produce great paroimia. There were at least twenty men whom someone in antiquity called one of the Seven. Moreover, different authors attribute the sayings to different sages. Solon Solon (Greek: Σόλων, ca. ... Athens (Greek: Αθήνα, Athína IPA: ) is the capital of Greece and one of the most famous cities in the world, named after goddess Athena. ... Chilon of Sparta or Chilo of Sparta was a Lacedaemonian, son of Damagetus and one of the Seven Sages of Greece. ... The Ancient Greek aphorism Know thyself (Greek: ΓΝΩΘΙ ΣΕΑΥΤΟΝ or gnothi seauton) was inscribed in golden letters at the lintel of the entrance to the Temple of Apollo at Delphi. ... Thales of Miletus (ca. ... Bias was the son of Teutamus and a citizen of Priene. ... Cleobulus was a native of Lindus, and the son of Evagoras. ... Pittacus was the son of Hyrradius, and one of the Seven Sages of Greece. ... Periander was the second tyrant of Corinth, Greece in the 7th century BC. He was the son of the first tyrant, Cypselus. ... Myson of Chenae (also Khenai or Chen; Greek: ) was an eminent Greek philosopher, known as, according to some accounts, one of the Seven Sages of Greece. ...

Other quotes attributed to the sages include: "Master anger"; "Look to the end of life"; "Avoid responsibility for others' debts"; and the characteristically Greek "Call no man happy until he is dead".

The institution of sagacity

The sources seem to tell us everything about the sages except who singled them out as sage and for what purpose. The Hellenes, we are told, but entire populations rarely act except through representatives. Ancient Greece is the period in Greek history which lasted for around one thousand years and ended with the rise of Christianity. ...

The trophy-swapping stories in Diogenes Laertius (under Thales) give something of a clue. First there is the tripod brought up with a catch of fish and claimed by the purchasers of the fish, who appealed to the oracle and were told to give the tripod to the wisest. They chose Thales, but he passed it on to another, etc., until it came back to him. Then he sent it to Apollo, as only the god is wise. Diogenes Laërtius, the biographer of the Greek philosophers, is supposed by some to have received his surname from the town of Laerte in Cilicia, and by others from the Roman family of the Laërtii. ... Thales of Miletus (ca. ... Lycian Apollo, early Imperial Roman copy of a fourth century Greek original (Louvre Museum) In Greek and Roman mythology, Apollo (Greek: Απόλλων, Apóllōn; or Απελλων, Apellōn), the ideal of the kouros,[1] was the archer-god of medicine and healing and also a bringer of death-dealing plague; as...

In another version the trophy was a bowl bequeathed to him who did the most good with his wisdom. It went the round also and ended up at Delphi. In a third version it was a gift from Croesus to the wisest.

The bowl gives us a hint as to how men became officially sage. Diogenes evidently read the inscription on the bowl, as he quotes it:

"Thales, the Milesian, son of Examyas (dedicates this) to Delphian Apollo after twice winning the prize from all the Greeks."

What prize was that, and what contest? Such language is spoken of victors in the Panhellenic Games. The Pythian Games featured a declamation contest for poets and probably would-be sages. Diogenes Laertius quotes these verses attributed to Thales: Panhellenic Games is the collective term for four separate sports festivals held in ancient Greece. ... View of the stadium of the Delphi sanctuary, used for the Pythian Games. ...

"Of all things that are, the most ancient is God, for he is uncreated.

The most beautiful is the universe, for it is God's.

The greatest is space, for it holds all things.

The swiftest is mind, for it speeds everywhere.

The strongest, necessity, for it masters all.

The wisest, time, for it brings everything to light."

Chance has not revealed to us the exact origin of the seven sages. However, the fact that the paroimia on the wall of the naon were dedicated to Apollo may indicate that they were the winning words of a contest. Perhaps in the Pythian Games of archaic Greece a standing board of one winner and seven follow-ups existed. View of the stadium of the Delphi sanctuary, used for the Pythian Games. ...

This circumstance would account for the large number of people said to be in the seven, and also would have given Croesus and Cyrus a guest list for their courts, as they were patrons of the arts. There were still seven sages at the court of Chosroes I, a king of the Sassanid dynasty, 531-579. Croesus Croesus (pronounced CREE-sus, IPA , the Latin transliteration of the Greek Κροίσος, in Arabic and Persian قارون Qârun), who was legendary for his enormous wealth, was king of Lydia from 560/561 BC until his defeat by the Persians in about 547 BC. Born in 626 BC, he was the... The name Cyrus (or Kourosh in Persian) may refer to: [[Cyrus I of Anshan]], King of Persia around 650 BC [[Cyrus II of Persia | Cyrus the Great]], King of Persia 559 BC - 529 BC — See also Cyrus in the Judeo-Christian tradition Cyrus the Younger, brother to the Persian king... Khosrau I, the Blessed (Anushirvan), (531 - 579) was the favourite son and successor of Kavadh I, and the most famous of the Sassanid kings. ... The Sassanid Empire in the time of Shapur I; the conquest of Cappadocia was temporary Official language Pahlavi (Middle Persian) Dominant Religion Zoroastrianism Capital Ctesiphon Sovereigns Shahanshah of the Iran (Eranshahr) First Ruler Ardashir I Last Ruler Yazdegerd III Establishment 224 AD Dissolution 651 AD Part of the History of...

Delphi was not the only seat of Apollo. Another existed at Didyma ten miles south of Miletus, where there was a temple, the Didymaion, at which oracles were given, and games, the Megala Didymeia, including recitation in the open next to a grove. Didyma were rivals to Delphi. The sages could have won at Didyma and have dedicated their prizes and sayings at Delphi. Didyma was an ancient Greek city in what is now Turkey. ... Miletus (Greek: Μίλητος transliterated Miletos) was an ancient city on the western coast of Anatolia (in what is now the Aydin Province of Turkey), near the mouth of the Maeander River. ...

References

• Laertius Diogenes, Lives of the Philosophers: "Thales".
• Oxford Classical Dictionary: "Seven Sages".
• Plato, Protagoras: 343a-b.

Bibliography

• Harper's Dictionary of Classical Literature and Antiquities, ed. by Harry Thurston Peck, Cooper Square Publishers, Inc., l962.
• Brush Up Your Classics, Michael Macrone, Gramercy Books, NY, 1991.

External links

• Livius, Seven sages by Jona Lendering
• The Seven Sages of Greece