author

Philodemus

An Epicurean philosopher and poet from the first century BCE, he helped carry Greek philosophy into Roman intellectual life. Much of what survives of his work comes from papyrus rolls preserved at Herculaneum, giving modern readers a rare direct link to ancient thought.

1 Audiobook

The improved antidote, supposed to be more active in expelling poison, than a late invention, by the Rev. Sir Harcourt Lees, Bart. in which the Catholics are vindicated from his abuse, and their claims for unrestricted emancipation, considered

The improved antidote, supposed to be more active in expelling poison, than a late invention, by the Rev. Sir Harcourt Lees, Bart. in which the Catholics are vindicated from his abuse, and their claims for unrestricted emancipation, considered

by Philodemus

About the author

Born in Gadara around 110 BCE, Philodemus studied in Athens under the Epicurean teacher Zeno of Sidon before moving west and becoming part of the Roman world. Ancient sources and modern reference works describe him as both a philosopher and a poet, a combination that helped him bring Epicurean ideas to new audiences.

He is especially known for writing on ethics, rhetoric, music, poetry, and the arts, as well as for his epigrams. Scholars connect him closely with Herculaneum, where many carbonized papyrus scrolls preserving his writings were later discovered after the eruption of Vesuvius buried the area in 79 CE.

That unusual afterlife makes Philodemus stand out among classical authors: instead of surviving only through later quotations, many of his own texts have been recovered in damaged but readable form. For readers today, he offers both sharp philosophical argument and a vivid glimpse of how Greek ideas were adapted in the late Roman Republic.