Philosophy of Stoa. Zeno, Chrysippus, Panetius, Posidonius, Seneca, Musonia Rufus, Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius
The Stoic school was founded at the end of the 4th century BC by Zeno, a native of the Cypriot city of Kition, which had a Phoenician settlement. Some scholars believe that Zeno was of Phoenician origin. At the end of the 4th century, he came to Athens and turned to philosophy. Inspired by the image of Socrates in Xenophon’s “Memoirs”, he became a student of the Cynic Crates, and thanks to this, the influence of the Cynics colors the ethical teaching of the Stoics quite strongly. He also attended lectures by Polemon and Diodorus Cronus. After this, he founded his own school, which was located in the famous “Motley Portico” (tod ποικίλη ), painted with frescoes by Polygnotus. This is where the school got its name. Zeno was highly respected in Athens for his preaching of virtue, after his death he was awarded high awards by the Athenian citizens. Zeno’s most important students were Ariston of Chios and Cheryl. Ariston was a strong example of the Cynic streak. He completely rejected logic and physics, calling for an exclusive focus on virtue and vice. Another famous student of Zeno was Cleanthes of Assos, a former boxer who became a loyal follower of Zeno. Cleanthes’s student Chrysippus of Soli (?281 – 208 BC) played a special role in the development of the Stoic school; his all-encompassing talent allowed him to become, so to speak, the second founder of the Stoics. He was a prolific writer, producing 500 lines a day. He developed a complex system of Stoic logic and made many changes to ethics and physics. Chrysippus’s students included Diogenes of Seleucia and Antipater of Tarsus.