Diogenes of Oenoanda
Encyclopedia
Diogenes of Oenoanda was an Epicurean Greek
from the 2nd century AD who carved a summary of the philosophy of Epicurus
onto a portico
wall in the ancient city of Oenoanda
in Lycia
(modern day southwest Turkey
). The surviving fragments of the wall, which originally extended about 80 meters, form an important source of Epicurean philosophy. The inscription sets out Epicurus
' teachings on physics
, epistemology, and ethics
. It was originally about 25 000 words along and filled 260 square meters of wall space. Less than a third of it has been recovered.
ic period. Diogenes was wealthy enough to acquire a large tract of land in the city of Oenoanda
to construct (or possibly buy) a piazza
to display his inscription. As a man who had found peace by practicing the doctrines of Epicurus
, he tells us that in his old age he was motivated "to help also those who come after us" and "to place therefore the remedies of salvation by means of this porch."
's theory of cosmogony.
The inscription contains three treatises written by Diogenes as well as various letters and maxims:
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
from the 2nd century AD who carved a summary of the philosophy of Epicurus
Epicurus
Epicurus was an ancient Greek philosopher and the founder of the school of philosophy called Epicureanism.Only a few fragments and letters remain of Epicurus's 300 written works...
onto a portico
Portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls...
wall in the ancient city of Oenoanda
Oenoanda
Oenoanda , in the upper valley of the River Xanthus, was the most southerly of the tetrapolis led by Cibyra in the Hellenistic Period, which was dissolved by L. Licinius Murena in 84 BCE, whereupon Oenoanda became part of the koinon of Lycia, as its inscriptions abundantly demonstrate...
in Lycia
Lycia
Lycia Lycian: Trm̃mis; ) was a region in Anatolia in what are now the provinces of Antalya and Muğla on the southern coast of Turkey. It was a federation of ancient cities in the region and later a province of the Roman Empire...
(modern day southwest Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
). The surviving fragments of the wall, which originally extended about 80 meters, form an important source of Epicurean philosophy. The inscription sets out Epicurus
Epicurus
Epicurus was an ancient Greek philosopher and the founder of the school of philosophy called Epicureanism.Only a few fragments and letters remain of Epicurus's 300 written works...
' teachings on physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
, epistemology, and ethics
Ethics
Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime, etc.Major branches of ethics include:...
. It was originally about 25 000 words along and filled 260 square meters of wall space. Less than a third of it has been recovered.
Life
Nothing is known about the life of Diogenes apart from the limited information he reveals to us. The inscription itself, which had been dated to the late 2nd century, has now been assigned on epigraphic grounds to the HadrianHadrian
Hadrian , was Roman Emperor from 117 to 138. He is best known for building Hadrian's Wall, which marked the northern limit of Roman Britain. In Rome, he re-built the Pantheon and constructed the Temple of Venus and Roma. In addition to being emperor, Hadrian was a humanist and was philhellene in...
ic period. Diogenes was wealthy enough to acquire a large tract of land in the city of Oenoanda
Oenoanda
Oenoanda , in the upper valley of the River Xanthus, was the most southerly of the tetrapolis led by Cibyra in the Hellenistic Period, which was dissolved by L. Licinius Murena in 84 BCE, whereupon Oenoanda became part of the koinon of Lycia, as its inscriptions abundantly demonstrate...
to construct (or possibly buy) a piazza
Piazza
A piazza is a city square in Italy, Malta, along the Dalmatian coast and in surrounding regions. The term is roughly equivalent to the Spanish plaza...
to display his inscription. As a man who had found peace by practicing the doctrines of Epicurus
Epicurus
Epicurus was an ancient Greek philosopher and the founder of the school of philosophy called Epicureanism.Only a few fragments and letters remain of Epicurus's 300 written works...
, he tells us that in his old age he was motivated "to help also those who come after us" and "to place therefore the remedies of salvation by means of this porch."
The inscription
Diogenes constructed a rectangular piazza surrounded by a portico, and furnished with statues. On one of the smaller sides he placed a portal, with perhaps his mausoleum on the opposite side. On the two larger sides he inscribed a lengthy account of Epicurean doctrines. The inscription was 2.37 meters high, and extended about 80 meters. It was originally about 25 000 words long and filled about 260 square meters of wall space. It was discovered in 1884, and the first 64 fragments were published in 1892. Since then, more fragments have been discovered, notably in a series of excavations led by Martin Ferguson Smith. Perhaps a quarter of the inscription has been recovered. New parts are being discovered in the excavations of the Deutsches Archäologisches Institut; among the parts discovered in 2008 was a statement on PlatoPlato
Plato , was a Classical Greek philosopher, mathematician, student of Socrates, writer of philosophical dialogues, and founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. Along with his mentor, Socrates, and his student, Aristotle, Plato helped to lay the...
's theory of cosmogony.
The inscription contains three treatises written by Diogenes as well as various letters and maxims:
- A Treatise on Ethics, which describes how pleasureHêdonêHēdonē is an English transliteration of a Greek word meaning pleasure, and is the root of the English word "hedonism". In the philosophy of Epicurus, hēdonē was the quest for pleasure that would have only good consequences...
is the end of life; how virtueVirtueVirtue is moral excellence. A virtue is a positive trait or quality subjectively deemed to be morally excellent and thus is valued as a foundation of principle and good moral being....
is a means to achieve it; and explains how to achieve the happy life. - A Treatise on Physics, which has many parallels with LucretiusLucretiusTitus Lucretius Carus was a Roman poet and philosopher. His only known work is an epic philosophical poem laying out the beliefs of Epicureanism, De rerum natura, translated into English as On the Nature of Things or "On the Nature of the Universe".Virtually no details have come down concerning...
, and includes discussions on dreamDreamDreams are successions of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. The content and purpose of dreams are not definitively understood, though they have been a topic of scientific speculation, philosophical intrigue and religious...
s, the gods, and contains an account of the origin of humans and the invention of clothing, speech and writing. - A Treatise on Old Age, which appears to have defended old ageOld ageOld age consists of ages nearing or surpassing the average life span of human beings, and thus the end of the human life cycle...
against the jibes of the young, although little of this treatise survives. - Letters from Diogenes to his friends, which includes a letter addressed to a certain Antipater concerning the Epicurean doctrine of innumerable worlds.
- Epicurean maxims, a collection of the sayings of Epicurus and other eminent Epicureans, which was appended to the end of the treatise on ethics.
- Letters of Epicurus, which includes a letter to Epicurus' mother on the subject of dreams.
Further reading
- Martin Ferguson Smith, (1996), The philosophical inscription of Diogenes of Oinoanda. Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften. ISBN 3700125968
- Martin Ferguson Smith, (2003), Supplement to Diogenes of Oinoanda The Epicurean Inscription. Bibliopolis. ISBN 8870884414
- Pamela Gordon, (1996), Epicurus in Lycia: The Second-century World of Diogenes of Oenoanda. University of Michigan Press. ISBN 0472104616
- Clay, Diskin. The Philosophical Inscription of Diogenes of Oenoanda: New Discoveries 1969-1983. edited by W. Haase(1990) 2446-2560 with 10 Plates and Index. (Berlin and New York)
- Clay, Diskin. Sailing to Lampsacus: Diogenes of Oenoanda, New Fragment 7. Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies vol. 14 (1973) 49-59. (reprinted as Chapter 11 of Paradosis and Survival,1998)
External links
- Oinoanda and the biggest inscription of the ancient world - Deutsches Archäologisches Institut
- Photos of surviving fragments of the wall
- The Epicurean Inscription (Abridged) translated by Martin Ferguson Smith, at Epicurus.info