Seven Sages of Greece

The Seven Wise in the Nuremberg Chronicles

The name Seven Sages was the title given by Greek tradition to seven ancient Greek sages (circa 620 — 550 B.C.), renowned for their wisdom. This set includes both philosophers and statesmen or legislators.

The tradition of the Seven Sages was maintained throughout the centuries. For example, Plutarch would compose an Agape for seven wise men.

List of wise men

Caliope, between Socrates and the Seven Sages (Baalbeck, century)III EC) exhibited at the Beirut National Museum.

The ancient world has left us several accounts of the Seven Sages. One is presented by Plato in the dialogue Protagoras (Prot. 343a). Another, the one that follows here, comes from Diogenes Laertius (who does not include Misón de Quene, mentioned by Plato, in the list, and puts Periander in his place).

• Cleobulo de Lindos, ruled as a tyrant of Lindos, on the Greek island of Rhodes, c. 600 a. C.
• Solon of Athens (640 BC - 559 BC) acquired fame as a legislator and social reformer in Athens.
• Quilon de Esparta: S politician. VI a. C., tries to improve systems to better control the highest officials in the state. It is also attributed to the militarization of the civil life of Esparta and the first measures for the military education of youth.
• Bías de Priene, a Greek politician who became a legislator in the sixth century. C.
• Tales de Mileto: Philosopher and mathematician, he emphasized thanks to his practical wisdom, his remarkable political capacity and the great amount of knowledge he possessed.
• Mitilene Pythiac: He was a Greek statesman (c. 650 BC) who ruled in Mitilene (Lesbos), along with the Mirsilo tyrant. Pitaco tried to restrict the power of nobility, and exercised power by leaning on the popular classes.
• Corinth Periander: As a tyrant of Corinth, he tried to maintain internal political stability and promoted the prosperity of the country during the period between the s. VII-VI a. C. He sought to regulate and humanize the work of the slaves, protected the social class of the poor peasants and forced the nobility to reduce the sumptuousness of their expenses. It also carried out a systematic colonial policy of conquests. The long stability that Corinth enjoyed under his mandate helped him to be included in the group of the sages of Greece.

The Tale of the Seven Sages

Socrates indirectly refers to a tale of the Seven Wise Men that points out that humility is the mother of wisdom:

According to Diogenes Laertius, some fishermen from the island of Cos found Helen of Troy's tripod in their nets, which she threw into the water on her return trip from Troy to Sparta. The fishermen had sold the contents of their nets to some travelers from Miletus in advance, but when they found the tripod they refused to give it to the travelers from Miletus. In this way, a war broke out between Cos and Miletus. Seeing that the war had no end, the combatants went to the Oracle of Delphi, to find out what to do with the tripod. The oracle commanded that the tripod be given to the wisest man, so it was given to Thales of Miletus. However, he modestly declined the title and sent the tripod to Bias of Priene, who also declined the honor and sent it to another member of the group. In the end, the tripod was dedicated to Apollo.