Damo (; grc-gre, Δαμώ; fl. c. 500 BC) was a Pythagorean philosopher said by many to have been the daughter of

Pythagoras Pythagoras of Samos ( grc, Πυθαγόρας ὁ Σάμιος, Pythagóras ho Sámios, Pythagoras the Samian, or simply ; in Ionian Greek; ) was an ancient Ionian Greek philosopher and the eponymous founder of Pythagoreanism. His politic ...

and

Theano In Greek mythology, Theano (; Ancient Greek: Θεανώ) may refer to the following personages: *Theano, wife of Metapontus, king of Icaria. Metapontus demanded that she bear him children, or leave the kingdom. She presented the children of Mela ...

Early life

Tradition relates that she was born in Croton, and was the daughter of

and

.Diogenes Laërtius, viii. 42-3Suda, ''Pythagoras'' π3120Iamblichus, ''On the Pythagorean Life'', 146 According to Iamblichus, Damo married Meno the Crotonian. Some accounts refer to her as an only daughter, while others indicate that she had two sisters,

Arignote Arignote or Arignota (; grc-gre, Ἀριγνώτη, ''Arignṓtē''; fl. c. ) was a Pythagorean philosopher from Croton or Samos. She was known as a student of Pythagoras and TheanoSuda, ''Arignote'' and, according to some traditions, their dau ...

and Myia (married to

Milo of Croton Milo or Milon of Croton (late 6th century BC) was a famous ancient Greek athlete. He was most likely a historical person, as he is mentioned by many classical authors, among them Aristotle, Pausanias, Cicero, Herodotus, Vitruvius, Epictetus, a ...

). With her brother Telauges, they became members of the Pythagorean sect founded by their father.

Writing

References to Damo can be found in the works of

Diogenes Laërtius Diogenes Laërtius ( ; grc-gre, Διογένης Λαέρτιος, ; ) was a biographer of the Greek philosophers. Nothing is definitively known about his life, but his surviving ''Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers'' is a principal sour ...

Athenaeus Athenaeus of Naucratis (; grc, Ἀθήναιος ὁ Nαυκρατίτης or Nαυκράτιος, ''Athēnaios Naukratitēs'' or ''Naukratios''; la, Athenaeus Naucratita) was a Greek rhetorician and grammarian, flourishing about the end of t ...

and Iamblichus, although little is known about her life. As the sect credited Pythagoras with authorship for members' work, it is likely that Damo contributed to the doctrines ascribed to the philosopher. According to one story, Pythagoras bequeathed his writings to Damo, and she kept them safe, refusing to sell them, believing that poverty and her father's solemn injunctions were more precious than gold. Damo, in turn, passed the writings (memoranda

hypomnema Hypomnema (Greek. ὑπόμνημα, plural ὑπομνήματα, ''hypomnemata''), also spelled hupomnema, is a Greek word with several translations into English including a reminder, a note, a public record, a commentary, an anecdotal record, ...

ta) on to her daughter Bitale and Telauges, and to her mother's brother. The writings, as well as those by Damo herself, are not known to have survived. According to Iamblichus, she was a sister of Telauges.

References

* Coppleston, Frederick, S.J. '' A History of Philosophy''. London: Search Press, 1946. *Guthrie, W.K.C. "Pythagoras and Pythagoreanism," in ''Encyclopedia of Philosophy''. Vol. 7. Edited by Paul Edwards. NY: Macmillan, 1967. *Jamblichus, C. ''Life of Pythagoras''. London: John M. Watkins, 1926. *Kersey, Ethel M. ''Women Philosophers: a Bio-critical Source Book''. CT: Greenwood Press, 1989. *Philip, J.A. ''Pythagoras and Early Pythagoreanism''. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1966. *Schure, Edouard. ''The Ancient Mysteries of Delphi: Pythagoras''. NY: Rudolf Steiner, 1971. *Waithe, Mary Ellen, ed. ''A History of Women Philosophers. Vol. 1.'' Boston: Martinus Nijhoff, 1987. 6th-century BC Greek people 5th-century BC Greek people 5th-century BC philosophers Pythagoreans Presocratic philosophers Ancient Greek women philosophers Pythagoreans of Magna Graecia Ancient Crotonians 6th-century BC births 5th-century BC deaths 6th-century BC Greek women 5th-century BC Greek women {{Greece-philosopher-stub

Early life

Writing

References

Further reading