Pherecydes of Syros

Pherecydes of Syros
Pherecydes, ancient Greek philosopher.
Born	c. 580 BC
Died	c. 520 BC
Era	Pre-Socratic philosophy
Region	Western Philosophy
School	Pre-Socratic
Main interests	Cosmogony, mythology, theology
Notable ideas	Metempsychosis
Influences Hesiod
Influenced Pythagoras

Pherecydes of Syros (/fəˈrɛsᵻˌdiːz/; Φερεκύδης ὁ Σύριος; fl. 6th century BC) was a Greek thinker from the island of Syros. Pherecydes authored a cosmogony, derived from three divine principles, Zas (Zeus),Cthonie (Earth) and Chronos (Time), known as the "Pentemychos" (Πεντέμυχος, "of the five recesses"; sometimes the alternative title "Heptamychos", "seven recesses" is given). It formed a bridge between the mythological thought of Hesiod and pre-Socratic philosophy. His work is lost, but it survived into the Hellenistic period and we are informed on part of its content indirectly. Pherecydes was said to have been the first writer to communicate philosophical musings in prose. According to William (ca. 1896), Aristotle regarded him partly a mythological writer and Plutarch, as well as many other writers gave him the title of Theologus.

According to tradition Pherecydes was a native of the island of Syros and flourished in the 59th Olympiad (544–541 BC). It was said that he was a son of one Babys. Schibli (1990) dates his birth in the 49th olympiad (584–581).

Anecdotes of "unknown reliability" place Pherecydes on the island of Samos, and in the city of Ephesus, where he is supposed to have been buried, although another tradition claims he was buried on Delos.