Myson of Chenae (; ; fl. 6th-century BC), also called "of Chen", was, according to

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 ...

, one of the

Seven Sages of Greece The Seven Sages or Seven Wise Men was the title given to seven philosophers, statesmen, and law-givers of the 7th–6th centuries BCE who were renowned for their wisdom Wisdom, also known as sapience, is the ability to apply knowledge, ...

. He is not to be confused with the Myson of 5th-century Athens who ran a pottery and inspired, and taught, many of the Mannerists including the Pan Painter.

Biography

According to

Sosicrates Sosicrates of Rhodes (; ) was a Greek historical writer. He was born on the island of Rhodes and is noted, chiefly, for his frequent mention by Diogenes Laërtius in his '' Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers'', referencing Sosicrates as the ...

, who quoted

Hermippus Hermippus (; fl. 5th century BC) was the one-eyed Athenian writer of the Old Comedy, who flourished during the Peloponnesian War. Life He was the son of Lysis, and the brother of the comic poet Myrtilus. He was younger than Telecleides and old ...

, Myson was the son of Strymon, a tyrant of his country.

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 ...

. ''Lives of the Eminent Philosophers''. Translated by

Robert Drew Hicks Robert Drew Hicks (29 June 1850 – 8 March 1929) was a classical scholar, and a fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge. The son of William Hicks, head clerk in the post office at Bristol,Alumni Cantabrigienses part II, vol. III, John Venn, 1944, p ...

. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Volume 1. 1982. Page 113 All sources agree that Myson was a plain farmer, though they differ as to his place of birth and residence. He is said to have lived in the village of Chen, though this is variously located in

Laconia Laconia or Lakonia (, , ) is a historical and Administrative regions of Greece, administrative region of Greece located on the southeastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. Its administrative capital is Sparti (municipality), Sparta. The word ...

Crete Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...

. He is also said to be "of Oeta", which seems to be a reference to

Mount Oeta Mount Oeta (; , polytonic , ''Oiti'', also transcribed as ''Oite'') is a mountain in Central Greece. A southeastern offshoot of the Pindus range, it is high. Since 1966, the core area of the mountain is a national park, and much of the rest has ...

; but the reference is sometimes read as "Etea" instead, which again may have been in Laconia or else in Crete.Diogenes Laërtius 1.106-108; see also James Adam, ''Platonis Protagoras'', page 159. Cambridge University Press 1893;

Diodorus Siculus Diodorus Siculus or Diodorus of Sicily (; 1st century BC) was an ancient Greece, ancient Greek historian from Sicily. He is known for writing the monumental Universal history (genre), universal history ''Bibliotheca historica'', in forty ...

, ''de Virt. et Vit.'' p. 551; Pausanias, X 24.1;

Clement of Alexandria Titus Flavius Clemens, also known as Clement of Alexandria (; – ), was a Christian theology, Christian theologian and philosopher who taught at the Catechetical School of Alexandria. Among his pupils were Origen and Alexander of Jerusalem. A ...

Stromata The ''Stromata'' (), a mistake for ''Stromateis'' (Στρωματεῖς, "Patchwork," i.e., ''Miscellanies''), attributed to Clement of Alexandria (c. 150 – c. 215), is the third of a trilogy of works regarding the Christian life. The oldest ...

''. i. p. 299.;

Stephen of Byzantium Stephanus or Stephen of Byzantium (; , ''Stéphanos Byzántios''; centuryAD) was a Byzantine grammarian and the author of an important geographical dictionary entitled ''Ethnica'' (). Only meagre fragments of the dictionary survive, but the epit ...

, χην and ητια. He died at the age of 97. In his ''

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 ...

'',

lists Myson of Chen as one of the Seven Sages of Greece, instead of

Periander Periander (; ; died c. 585 BC) was the second tyrant of the Cypselid dynasty that ruled over ancient Corinth. Periander's rule brought about a prosperous time in Corinth's history, as his administrative skill made Corinth one of the wealthiest city ...

, who was claimed as one by

Stobaeus Joannes Stobaeus (; ; 5th-century AD), from Stobi in Macedonia (Roman province), Macedonia, was the compiler of a valuable series of extracts from Greek authors. The work was originally divided into two volumes containing two books each. The tw ...

, citing Demetrius of Phaleron as his authority. Eudoxus also lists Myson, but omits

Cleobulus Cleobulus (; , ''Kleoboulos ho Lindios''; fl. 6th century BC) was a Greek poet and a native of Lindos. He is one of the Seven Sages of Greece. Life Cleobulus was the son of Evagoras and a citizen of Lindus in Rhodes. Clement of Alexandria cal ...

instead. The

Oracle of Delphi An oracle is a person or thing considered to provide insight, wise counsel or prophecy, prophetic predictions, most notably including precognition of the future, inspired by Deity, deities. If done through occultic means, it is a form of divina ...

proclaimed Myson the wisest of all men when

Anacharsis Anacharsis (; ) was a Scythian prince and philosopher of uncertain historicity who lived in the 6th century BC. Life Anacharsis was the brother of the Scythian king Saulius, and both of them were the sons of the previous Scythian king, Gnurus ...

consulted it: : Myson of Chen in Oeta; this is he : Who for wiseheartedness surpasses thee;

Quotations

:"We should not investigate facts by the light of arguments, but arguments by the light of facts."

Notes

References

* {{Authority control Seven Sages of Greece People from Lasithi 6th-century BC Greek philosophers