Xenophanes of Colophon (540 B.C.)
Pythagoras of Samos (532 B.C.)
Heracleitus of Ephesus (504/1 B.C.)

On The Common Characteristics of the Migrant Philosophers

Why do we put these three philosophers together and call them the Ionian-Italian migrant philosophers? Many certainly wonder about this. For this division of period and our way of putting Xenophanes, Pythagoras and Heracleitus together into a group is quite unusual, as I am clearly aware of, from the normal way of the description of the History of Ancient Greek Philosophy. In regard to this division of period, I am strongly inspired by and deeply indebted to the late Professor Michitaro Tanaka, my Greek philosophy Teacher at Kyoto University.

As the division of the historical period it makes a much better sense to group them in this way than any currently or traditionally used the historical division and this view is indeed closer to the fact as well as why they shared the same philosophical interests and concerns as well as the same approach.

Miletus fell to the Persians in 494 B.C.

Indeed, earlier, Lydia, the city state, which was located immediately East to Miletus (city state) was already destroyed by Media's invasion in 565 B.C.

Thus, the Asia Minor fell completely to the hands of Persia.

As a result, many of the Greek intellectuals, engineers, craftsmen, artists, poets and lawyers (and politicians) who had been active before in the Greek colonies of Asia Minor, (just as in any other case of war,) endeavored themselves or were forced to evade the catastrophes of the war, evacuate from their home lands to take refuge first to the Greek mainland city states (because geographically they were closer to Asia Minor) and then Greek colonies in the Southern Italy, which were rather recently founded and yet, they ultimately welcomed those refugees before those in Greek Mainland. The city states on the Greek mainland were at that time interested in the military power, business and wealth and were indeed very little concerned about cultures and intellectual pursuits as well as arts. They failed to provide those intellectual refugees their permanent home there until much later times. In contrast, the colony city states in Southern Italy were more recently founded and had a greater need for those intellectuals and, thus they welcomed those war-refugees from the Asia Minor. As clearly the historical political developments in the Greek ekumené revealed, therefore, the center stage of philosophy, too, was forced to move from Asia Minor to the Southern Italy.

The activities of these three philosophers represent therefore this cultural transition and transference from Asia Minor to Southern Italy.

This cultural transference by war (first by Medians, and second by the other Persians), namely this self evident cultural migration of the skilled laborers, has never been well and duly recognized in the History of Greek Philosophy. We should not overlook, but emphasize the fact that those Italian colonies were indeed able to prosper thanks to the massive migration of those carriers of culture such as philosophers, scientists, craftsmen, artists, poets, engineers and politicians (lawyers), etc.

Pythagoras, Xenophanes and Heracleitus were born in Asia Minor, in these various city states as indicated above.

However, we are not so quite sure about Heracleitus' migration to Southern Italy at all and yet he shares the common characteristics with Pythagoras and Xenophanes. In fact, we know even today very little about Heracleitus's life and activities besides fragments we possess right now. (Further we hardly know, thus, whether Heracleitus returned to Ephesus after its liberation from Persia by the Persian War or did he migrate at all but stayed at home, of which we have no "hard" evidence nor written data to substantiate this or that.)

Pythagoras' date, 532 B.C., is based upon Porphyrius' Life of Pythagoras. Porphyrius stated in it that Pythagoras left Samos, his native island and migrated to Croton in Southern Italy, when Polycrates established his dictatorship in Samos. The year in which Polycrates began his absolute monarchy was around 532 B.C. Therefore, this 532 B.C. became Pythago