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Original at the National Museum of Naples
Pythagoras of Samos, Greek philosopher around 570-510 BC, founder of the Pythagorean school
Pythagoras was a pupil of Pherekydes von Syros, the "theologian". He left his homeland because he rejected the rule of the tyrant Polycrates and travelled to Egypt and Babylon. He found a second home in Kroton, Lower Italy, where he founded his school, a religious-ethical, sectarian community.
The Pythagorean League spread throughout all of Lower Italy and Sicily. He differed from the rest of the population by strict customs and habits, aspired asceticism and community of goods, vegetarianism was opportune (Pythagoras quote: "As long as humans massacre animals, they will also kill each other"), women are also said to have belonged to him.
The most important thing for the Pythagoreans was the theory of numbers. Until the beginning of the 4th century B.C. Pythagoreanism was the centre of mathematical research. For example, the Pythagoreans discovered incommensurability and already knew the irrational numbers. The number is not merely an expression, but the essence and core of real things.
However, the theorem attributed to Pythagoras, "in the right triangle, the sum of the catheter squares equal to the hypotenuse square" was known to the Babylonians long before.
The Pythagoreans attributed a magical function to music, which is why it was used in ritual acts and served to purify and heal the soul from its passions. They discovered that the pitch of stringed instruments depends on the position of the strings, i.e. mathematical conditions underlie the musical harmony. The Pythagoreans already knew the spherical shape of the earth.
Already during his lifetime Pythagoras was worshipped almost like a god. After his death many legends arose about him. The boundaries between the spiritual legacy of Pythagoras and his students - for example in the fields of mathematics and music theory - can no longer be precisely determined. Pythagoras was the first representative of philosophical idealism in Greek philosophy.
The Pythagorean teachings had a strong influence on posterity. On the one hand they promoted the development of scientific disciplines (mathematics, music theory, medicine, astronomy), on the other they contributed to the development of idealism (Plato, neo-Platonism) and mysticism, especially number mysticism (Kabbalah).
Bronze bust of Pythagoras, dating from the 5th century B.C., exhibit of the National Museum of Naples.
Replica reduction made of ceramic (high-strength special gypsum) in marble finish.
This product was added to our catalog on Wednesday, January 29, 2014.