Eryximachus, son of Acumenus (;

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

: Ἐρυξίμαχος Ἀκουμένου ''Eruxímachos Akouménou''; c. 448 – late 5th century or early 4th century BCE) was an ancient Athenian

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

who is best remembered for his prominent role in

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 ''

Symposium In Ancient Greece, the symposium (, ''sympósion'', from συμπίνειν, ''sympínein'', 'to drink together') was the part of a banquet that took place after the meal, when drinking for pleasure was accompanied by music, dancing, recitals, o ...

''. It is likely that he was indicted in the mutilation of the herms, a domestic Athenian conflict during the

Peloponnesian War The Second Peloponnesian War (431–404 BC), often called simply the Peloponnesian War (), was an Ancient Greece, ancient Greek war fought between Classical Athens, Athens and Sparta and their respective allies for the hegemony of the Ancien ...

Debra Nails Debra Nails (born November 15, 1950) is an American philosophy professor who taught at Michigan State University. Nails earned her M.A. in philosophy and classical Greek from Louisiana State University before going on to earn a Ph.D. in philosophy ...

, ''The People of Plato'', Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing, 2002; pp. 134–135

Life

The son of the physician Acumenus, Eryximachus was born in the mid-5th century BC. Set approximately in 433/2, Plato's ''

Protagoras Protagoras ( ; ; )Guthrie, p. 262–263. was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher and rhetorical theorist. He is numbered as one of the sophists by Plato. In his dialogue '' Protagoras'', Plato credits him with inventing the role of the professional ...

'' dialogue includes a depiction of his close friendship with

Socrates Socrates (; ; – 399 BC) was a Ancient Greek philosophy, Greek philosopher from Classical Athens, Athens who is credited as the founder of Western philosophy and as among the first moral philosophers of the Ethics, ethical tradition ...

' student Phaedrus, a friendship that continued into the dramatic time of the '' Phaedrus'' dialogue some 15 years later. His wealth and social status are unclear from the extant sources. An Eryximachus is mentioned in

Andocides Andocides (; , ''Andokides''; ) was a logographer (speech writer) in Ancient Greece. He was one of the ten Attic orators included in the "Alexandrian Canon" compiled by Aristophanes of Byzantium and Aristarchus of Samothrace in the third centur ...

' ''On the Mysteries'' speech as among those indicted in the mutilation of the herms and profanation of the

Eleusinian mysteries The Eleusinian Mysteries () were initiations held every year for the Cult (religious practice), cult of Demeter and Persephone based at the Panhellenic Sanctuary of Eleusis in ancient Greece. They are considered the "most famous of the secret rel ...

, two tumultuous events on the eve of the ill-fated

Sicilian Expedition The Sicilian Expedition was an Classical Athens, Athenian military expedition to Sicily, which took place from 415–413 BC during the Peloponnesian War between Classical Athens, Athens on one side and Sparta, Syracuse, Sicily, Syracuse and Co ...

in 415. While there is no clear confirmation that this Eryximachus is the physician, there are numerous pieces of circumstantial evidence, including Phaedrus' role and Eryximachus' appearance in Plato's ''Symposium'' alongside others involved in these incidents. It is unclear whether he was among those executed because of the event, but the historical record lacks later references to him.

In Plato

While he is present silently in the ''Protagoras'' and receives mention in the ''Phaedrus'', his most significant appearance in Plato's writing comes in the ''Symposium''. Here he instigates and contributes to the event's extended discourse on the god

Eros Eros (, ; ) is the Greek god of love and sex. The Romans referred to him as Cupid or Amor. In the earliest account, he is a primordial god, while in later accounts he is the child of Aphrodite. He is usually presented as a handsome young ma ...

and the phenomena associated with this god. In his speech, he uses the language of his doctor's craft to describe love in bodily terms. While some have dismissed his Platonic character as arrogant, pedantic, and a figure of comedic fun, others have argued for his role as a serious contributor to the discourse, or even attributed traditional Platonic philosophical values to his medical arguments.Ronald Ross, "A Doctor and a Scholar: Rethinking the Philosophic Significance of Eryximachus in the ''Symposium''", ''Stance'', Vol. 2, April 2009

References

{{reflist, 35em 5th-century BC Athenians 5th-century BC Greek physicians Ancient Greeks accused of sacrilege

Life

In Plato

See also

References