Alcaeus and Philiscus (or Alcius and Philiscus; fl. 2nd century BC) were two

Epicurean Epicureanism is a system of philosophy founded 307 BCE based upon the teachings of Epicurus, an ancient Greek philosopher. Epicurus was an atomist and materialist, following in the steps of Democritus. His materialism led him to religious s ...

philosophers who were expelled from

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

in either 173 BC or 154 BC.

Athenaeus Athenaeus of Naucratis (, or Nαυκράτιος, ''Athēnaios Naukratitēs'' or ''Naukratios''; ) was an ancient Greek rhetorician and Grammarian (Greco-Roman), grammarian, flourishing about the end of the 2nd and beginning of the 3rd century ...

states that the expulsion occurred during the

consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states thro ...

ship of Lucius Postumius. This can either refer to the Lucius Postumius who was consul in 173 BC or the Lucius Postumius who was consul in 154 BC.Erich S. Gruen, (1996), ''Studies in Greek culture and Roman policy'', page 177. BRILL Aelian states that they were expelled "because they had introduced the younger generation to many unnatural pleasures."Aelian, ''Varia Historia'', ix. 12 This may just be a hostile remark which originated from an anti-Epicurean source, but it is also possible that this was the charge laid against them.

Roman law Roman law is the law, legal system of ancient Rome, including the legal developments spanning over a thousand years of jurisprudence, from the Twelve Tables (), to the (AD 529) ordered by Eastern Roman emperor Justinian I. Roman law also den ...

in this period permitted the expulsion (''

relegatio ''Relegatio'' (or ''relegatio in insulam'') under Roman law was the mildest form of exile, involving banishment from Rome, but not loss of citizenship, or confiscation of property. It was a sentence used for adulterers, those that committed sexu ...

'') of any undesired person from Rome by magisterial decree, and it was often used to remove undesirable foreigners from the city.Gordon P. Kelly, (2006), ''A history of exile in the Roman republic'', page 65. Cambridge University Press. In 161 BC some teachers of rhetoric and philosophy had been expelled from the city. Michael von Albrecht, Gareth L. Schmeling, (1997), ''A history of Roman literature: from Livius Andronicus to Boethius'', page 499. BRILL In 155 BC, a celebrated embassy of philosophers, consisting of

Carneades Carneades (; , ''Karneadēs'', "of Carnea"; 214/3–129/8 BC) was a Greek philosopher, perhaps the most prominent head of the Skeptical Academy in Ancient Greece. He was born in Cyrene. By the year 159 BC, he had begun to attack many previo ...

(

Academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

Diogenes Diogenes the Cynic, also known as Diogenes of Sinope (c. 413/403–c. 324/321 BC), was an ancient Greek philosopher and one of the founders of Cynicism (philosophy), Cynicism. Renowned for his ascetic lifestyle, biting wit, and radical critique ...

( Stoic) and Critolaus ( Peripatetic), had been sent from

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

to Rome where their teachings caused a sensation, and they were forced to leave. If Alcaeus and Philiscus were expelled from the city in 154 BC, then it would have been just one year after this event.

Notes

{{AncientGreece-philosopher-stub Epicurean philosophers 2nd-century BC Greek philosophers Roman-era philosophers in Rome