Athamas (Ancient Greek: Ἀθάμας, fl. 5th century BCE) of Posidonia was a Pythagorean philosopher, cited by the theologian and philosopher Clement of Alexandria as believing that everything in the universe was composed of four elements: earth, wind, fire, and water.[1][2]

He is briefly mentioned by the Neoplatonist philosopher Iamblichus, in a list of Pythagoreans, but there are no further mentions of him, and nothing further is known about him.[3][4]

References

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  1. ^ Clement of Alexandria, Stromata vi. p. 624d. Paris, 1629
  2. ^ Curnow, Trevor (2006). "Athamas". The Philosophers of the Ancient World: An A-Z Guide. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 54. ISBN 9781849667715. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  3. ^ Iamblichus (1989). On the Pythagorean life. Translated by Clark, E. Gillian. Liverpool University Press. p. 112. ISBN 9780853233268. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  4. ^ de Jáuregui, Miguel Herrero (2010). Orphism and Christianity in Late Antiquity. Walter de Gruyter. pp. 203–204. ISBN 9783110206333. Retrieved 2024-08-27.

  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domainSmith, William (1870). "Athamas". In Smith, William (ed.). Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. Vol. 1. p. 393.