Clearchus of Soli (, ''Klearkhos ho Soleus'') was a Greek

philosopher Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

of the 4th–3rd century BCE, belonging to

Aristotle Aristotle (; 384–322 BC) was an Ancient Greek philosophy, Ancient Greek philosopher and polymath. His writings cover a broad range of subjects spanning the natural sciences, philosophy, linguistics, economics, politics, psychology, a ...

's Peripatetic school. He was born in Soli in

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

. He wrote extensively on eastern cultures, and is thought to have traveled to the

Bactria Bactria (; Bactrian language, Bactrian: , ), or Bactriana, was an ancient Iranian peoples, Iranian civilization in Central Asia based in the area south of the Oxus River (modern Amu Darya) and north of the mountains of the Hindu Kush, an area ...

n city of Ai-Khanoum (Alexandria on the Oxus) in modern

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

Writings

Clearchus wrote extensively around on Oriental cultures, from

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, and several fragments from him are known. His book "Of Education" (Greek: , ) was cited by

Diogenes Laërtius Diogenes Laërtius ( ; , ; ) was a biographer of the Greek philosophers. Little is definitively known about his life, but his surviving book ''Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers'' is a principal source for the history of ancient Greek ph ...

. Clearchus in particular expressed several theories on the connection between western and eastern religions. In "Of Education", he wrote that "the gymnosophists are descendants of the

Magi Magi (), or magus (), is the term for priests in Zoroastrianism and earlier Iranian religions. The earliest known use of the word ''magi'' is in the trilingual inscription written by Darius the Great, known as the Behistun Inscription. Old Per ...

". In another text, Josephus the first-century Romano-Jewish scholar claimed that Clearchus has reported a dialogue with

, where the philosopher states that the

Hebrews The Hebrews (; ) were an ancient Semitic-speaking peoples, ancient Semitic-speaking people. Historians mostly consider the Hebrews as synonymous with the Israelites, with the term "Hebrew" denoting an Israelite from the nomadic era, which pre ...

were descendants of the Indian philosophers: The original term used for the Calami people in Greek was ''Καλανοί'' (Kalanoi), which is derived from the Indian ascetic Calanus. His works included also: * ' (); a work on the right way of life, in at least eight volumes * A commentary on

Plato Plato ( ; Greek language, Greek: , ; born BC, died 348/347 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher of the Classical Greece, Classical period who is considered a foundational thinker in Western philosophy and an innovator of the writte ...

's '' Timaeus'' * ' (); eulogy to Plato * ' (); on the mathematical subjects in Plato's

Republic A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a State (polity), state in which Power (social and political), political power rests with the public (people), typically through their Representat ...

* ' (); a treatise on flattery * ' (); on friendship * ' (); proverbs * ' (); on riddles * ' (); a probably historical collection of love-stories with some very odd questions on the subject * ' (); on paintings * ' (); ? the reading in Athenaeus is doubtful (XIV 648f) * ' (); on the electric ray * ' (); on water-animals * ' (); on sand-wastes * ' (); an anatomical work * ' (); on sleep (genuineness questionable) There is some question as to whether the work on military tactics cited by Aelianus Tacticus should be ascribed to Clearchus of Soli or Clearchus of Heraclea.

Travels

In the

n city of Ai-Khanoum, near the border with India, Greek verses, brought to city by Clearchus from

Delphi Delphi (; ), in legend previously called Pytho (Πυθώ), was an ancient sacred precinct and the seat of Pythia, the major oracle who was consulted about important decisions throughout the ancient Classical antiquity, classical world. The A ...

, were dedicated to the founder of the city named Kineas. On a Herôon (funerary monument), identified in Greek as the tomb of Kineas (also described as the '' oikistes'' (founder) of the Greek settlement) and dated to 300-250 BC, the inscription says: Delphic epigram in Ai-Khanoum (Wikisource in Greek) The precepts were placed by a Greek named Clearchus, thought to be Clearchus of Soli, who had copied them from

: Clearchus of Soli was a contemporary and compatriot of Stasanor (born in the same city of Soli, in Cyprus), who was a general of

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon (; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), most commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip ...

and later

satrap A satrap () was a governor of the provinces of the ancient Median kingdom, Median and Achaemenid Empire, Persian (Achaemenid) Empires and in several of their successors, such as in the Sasanian Empire and the Hellenistic period, Hellenistic empi ...

and Sogdiana.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clearchus Of Soli Ancient Cypriots Greek-language commentators on Plato 4th-century BC Greek philosophers Cypriot non-fiction writers Peripatetic philosophers Speechwriters Philosophers and tutors of Alexander the Great Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown Hellenistic-era philosophers in Athens