Anaxarchus: The Greek Philosopher Who Followed Alexander the Great on His Campaigns

Anaxarchus, a Greek philosopher from Abdera, accompanied Alexander the Great connected his campaigns, promoting a doctrine of detachment and resilience adjacent successful the look of suffering. Credit:  Public Domain

“In the midst of conquest and triumph, it was the calm tone of Anaxarchus that reminded adjacent the large king (Alexander the Great) of the fleeting quality of worldly honors,” ancient Greek Historian Plutarch mentions successful his accounts.

Greek philosopher Anaxarchus is 1 of the less‐documented yet intriguing figures of the Hellenistic age. Choosing a tumultuous way alongside Alexander the Great, helium embodied the tone of enquiry and detachment amid the march of empires.

Few archetypal writings of his survive. Later past historians and biographers connection america glimpses into his character, his philosophy, and the mode helium navigated the splendor and peril of Alexander’s conquests.

Life and inheritance of Anaxarchus: His determination to articulation Alexander the Great’s campaign

Little is known astir Anaxarchus’s aboriginal life. He hailed from a portion steeped successful philosophical traditions, and his determination to articulation Alexander’s run reflected a broader Hellenistic inclination successful which philosophers sought to trial and dispersed their ideas amid the realpolitik of conquest. Like galore Cynic oregon skeptical philosophers of the era, Anaxarchus was much funny successful the signifier of virtuousness and the pursuit of information than successful the impermanent glories of power.

His beingness successful Alexander’s entourage has been noted by past historians specified arsenic Strabo and Diogenes Laertius arsenic emblematic of the increasing intermingling of subject ambition with philosophical exploration during the epoch of Alexander’s expansion.

Anaxarchus was not lone a companion of conquerors but besides a committed disciple of the Greek atomist philosopher Democritus. Democritus’s teachings were centered connected the thought that everything is composed of indivisible atoms moving done the void. These teachings profoundly influenced Anaxarchus’s worldview. Drawing from this atomic perspective, Anaxarchus believed that if atoms are infinite and eternal, past the beingness indispensable beryllium vast. Perhaps it adjacent contains an infinite fig of worlds.

Cosmology and the infinity of worlds

In a mode reflecting Democritus’s revolutionary ideas, Anaxarchus extended the atomic mentation to the cosmos.The biographer Plutarch records an anecdote that vividly illustrates this perspective. According to Plutarch, during a treatment connected the quality of the universe, Anaxarchus stated:

“If the atoms are countless, past truthful excessively are the worlds that they compose; the cosmos has nary bounds, and its wonders are arsenic infinite arsenic the void itself.”

This striking connection encapsulates the thought that the precise cloth of world is unbounded—a conception that would lone summation wide acceptance galore centuries later. For Anaxarchus, the infinity of worlds was not conscionable an abstract hypothesis. It was a earthy effect of the eternal, ever-dividing quality of substance arsenic taught by Democritus.

While his cosmological ideas acceptable him apart, Anaxarchus’s demeanor besides near a people connected those astir him. Amid Alexander’s relentless campaigns, helium remained calm and detached. His position reminded his companions of the fleeting quality of earthly glory. Even the large king himself saw this truth. Plutarch, successful his writings connected Alexander’s entourage, noted:

”Alexander wept erstwhile helium heard Anaxarchus talk of an infinite fig of worlds.” When his friends asked why, helium replied, “Is it not worthy of tears that, with infinite worlds, we person not conquered adjacent one?”

This look reveals the paradox of Alexander’s success. Despite his immense conquests, the beingness remained beyond his reach, which reminded him of mortal limits.

Anaxarchus believed that the beingness had nary bounds and contained an infinite fig of worlds. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, K. Misselt (University of Arizona) and A. Abergel (IAS/University Paris-Saclay, CNRS)

Anaxarchus connected the march of empires

The institution of Alexander the Great brought Anaxarchus into nonstop interaction with the extremes of fortune. Amid conflict formations and the luxury of the Macedonian court, helium is said to person offered philosophical counsel that enactment worldly ambitions successful perspective.

Plutarch, successful his relationship of Alexander’s companions, remarks:

“In the midst of conquest and triumph, it was the calm tone of Anaxarchus that reminded adjacent the large king of the fleeting quality of worldly honors.”

This remark, though brief, captures the representation of a philosopher unmoved by the glories of empire. He utilized the run arsenic a backdrop to bespeak connected life’s existent values.

Similarly, the Greek biographer Diogenes Laertius, successful his postulation of philosophical lives, notes the quiescent dignity of Anaxarchus:

“Anaxarchus, who walked with Alexander, showed that the measurement of a antheral is recovered not successful his triumphs connected the tract but successful the steadfast pursuit of wisdom, undisturbed by the march of armies.”

These passages, though not extensive, person agelong served arsenic the main attestations of his quality successful the past literate tradition.

An engraved representation of Anaxarchus of Abdera, an past Greek philosopher, credited to Girolamo Olgiati. Credit: Girolamo Olgiati, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons

The tragic extremity of Anaxarchus

Anaxarchus met a brutal and tragic extremity astatine the hands of Nicocreon, the tyrant of Cyprus. According to Diogenes Laertius, helium had antecedently insulted Nicocreon during his clip with Alexander the Great. When Alexander died, the tyrant seized the accidental for revenge. Anaxarchus was captured and subjected to a gruesome execution. The tyrant placed him wrong a ample chromatic mortar, wherever helium pounded him to decease with robust pestles. Despite the horrific quality of his punishment, helium reportedly remained defiant. He showed nary fearfulness successful the look of suffering.

Even arsenic his assemblage was crushed, Anaxarchus is said to person mocked his executioner, declaring that Nicocreon could destruct his carnal signifier but could ne'er harm his mind. His decease became a awesome of the philosophical perfect of detachment from carnal symptom and the resilience of the quality tone successful the look of tyranny. Diogenes Laertius recorded the communicative of his last moments arsenic an illustration of unwavering philosophical courage. He embodied the rule that existent contented lies successful remaining unshaken by outer forces, adjacent successful the look of a convulsive death.

Statue of Alexander the Great riding Bucephalus and carrying a winged statue of Nike successful Pella city. Credit: Following Hadrian. CC BY 2.0/ flickr

Legacy and influence

Although Anaxarchus near nary implicit works, aboriginal historians mentioned his life. His communicative influenced Hellenistic thinkers and Renaissance scholars. Many invoked his illustration to item a beingness ruled by crushed and virtue. They focused connected its worth careless of outer circumstances.

His words past done paraphrased accounts by Plutarch and Diogenes Laertius. They punctual america that contented remained esteemed adjacent successful an property of conquerors.