Simplicius, a native of Cilicia, a disciple of Ammonius and of Damascius, was one of the last of the Neoplatonists. Cilicia as Roman province, 120 AD In Antiquity, Cilicia (Ki-LIK-ya) was a region, and often a political unit, on the southeastern coast of Asia Minor (modern Turkey), north of Cyprus. ... Ammonius Hermiae (5th century AD) was a Greek philosopher, and the son of Hermias or Hermeias, a fellow-pupil of Proclus. ... Damascius, the last of the Neoplatonists, was born in Damascus about AD 480. ... Neoplatonism (also Neo-Platonism) is a school of philosophy that took shape in the 3rd century A.D. Based on the teachings of Plato and the Platonists, it contained enough unique interpretations of Plato that some view Neoplatonism as substantively different from what Plato wrote and believed. ...

When, in AD 529, the school of philosophy at Athens was disendowed and the teaching of philosophy forbidden, the scholars Damascius, Simplicius, Priscianus and four others resolved in 531 or 532 to seek the protection of Khosrau I, king of Persia, but, though they received a hearty welcome, they found themselves unable to endure a continued residence amongst whom they considered barbarians. Before two years had elapsed they returned to Greece. For other uses, see number 529. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Athens (Greek: Αθήνα Athína IPA ) is the capital of Greece and one of the most famous cities in the world. ... Priscian (Priscianus Caesariensisi), the celebrated Latin grammarian, lived about A.D. 500, i. ... A coin of Khosrau I Khosrau I, (Anushirvan Persian: انوشيروان meaning the immortal soul), also known as Anushirvan the just (Anushirvan Adel) (ruled 531-579) was the favourite son and successor of Kavadh I, and the most famous and celebrated of the Sassanid kings. ... Persian art is conscious of a great past, and monumental in many respects. ...

Chosroes, in his treaty of peace concluded with Justinian in 532, expressly stipulated that the seven philosophers should be allowed "to return to their own homes, and to live henceforward in the enjoyment of liberty of conscience" (Agathias ~ 30, 31). After his return from Persia Simplicius wrote commentaries upon Aristotle's De coelo, Physica, De anima and Categoriae, which, with a commentary upon the Enchiridion of Epictetus, have survived. Agathias (c. ... Epictetus (c. ...

Simplicius is not an original thinker, but his remarks are thoughtful and intelligent and his learning is prodigious. To the student of Greek philosophy his commentaries are invaluable, as they contain many fragments of the older philosophers as well as of his immediate predecessors.

References

• This article incorporates text from the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, a publication in the public domain.