Category: Philosophy

Where to go if You’re Interested in Ancient Wisdom

Where to go if You’re Interested in Ancient Wisdom

Athens, the capital of Greece, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. It also happens to be the home of western philosophy. Yet most tourists are unaware of the significance that certain locations in the city have for the history of philosophy.

Friends, and strangers, who share my love of history, often ask me what locations they should visit there.

I am originally from Scotland, emigrated to Canada about eight years ago, but recently became a permanent resident of Greece. I’ve spent a lot of time exploring Athens, doing research for various books on philosophy. (My graphic novel, Verissimus: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius, depicts scenes in the Ancient Agora and Delphi.) Friends, and strangers, who share my love of history, often ask me what locations they should visit there. So I finally decided to write this short guide to Athens for fans of ancient philosophy.

One thing worth clarifying at the outset is that ancient Greece ended up becoming part of the Roman world. In 146 BC, Greece was conquered by the Roman Republic, becoming a client state and later a province of what eventually became known as the Roman Empire. Later, under the Ottoman Empire, Greece was still referred to as the “Roman nation”. Many of the archeological ruins and museum exhibits in Athens actually date not from the classical period of Pericles and Socrates, et al., but from Roman era, particularly the rule of Emperor Hadrian.

Plato’s Academy

The Academy was one of three large gymnasia or recreational grounds in ancient Athens. It is believed to be named after a legendary hero. It contained a large grove of trees, wrestling and boxing schools, and probably running tracks, where youths would exercise naked. Older men would also gather to give speeches and discuss politics and philosophy. Socrates is believed to have discussed philosophy, walking in the grounds of the Academy. However, it is most famous for being the location where his student, Plato, later founded his school of philosophy, which became known as the “Academy” after the park in which it was located.

This was the first major institute of higher education in Western history, the forerunner of all subsequent colleges and universities. Now every “academy” is named after Plato’s original school. We know that Plato had a house in the grounds of the park, and taught here, although it’s not certain that he taught in a building, as philosophers often lectured while walking in the open air. There would have been shrines here, to Apollo and other gods, as well as libraries.

When you walk in Plato’s Academy Park you’re walking where Plato once walked, discussing philosophy, and where his body was eventually laid to rest.

It’s often forgotten that Plato’s tomb was also located in the grounds of this park, although no trace of it remains today. When you walk in Plato’s Academy Park you’re walking where Plato once walked, discussing philosophy, and where his body was eventually laid to rest. I’ve often wondered if a memorial could be built in the park reinstating the original epitaphs from Plato’s tomb in ancient Greek, which several ancient sources attest. Diogenes Laertius, for example, quotes them as saying:

Here lies the god-like man Aristocles [Plato’s birth name], eminent among men for temperance and the justice of his character. And he, if ever anyone, had the fullest meed of praise for wisdom, and was too great for envy.

And we’re told it was accompanied, perhaps on another part of the tomb by the following:

Earth in her bosom here hides Plato’s body, but his soul hath its immortal station with the blest, Ariston’s son, whom every good man, even if he dwell afar off, honours because he discerned the divine life.

Zeno, the founder of Stoicism, later studied philosophy here for many years, under Plato’s successors. When the Roman dictator, Sulla, besieged Athens in 87 BC, his troops sacked the buildings of the Academy and cut down its trees for timber. Roughly a decade later, Cicero, the celebrated Roman orator and statesman, visited the Academy, and describes it being completely empty. It’s worth quoting what he says in full:

When we reached the walks of the Academy, which are so deservedly famous, we had them entirely to ourselves, as we had hoped. Thereupon Piso [Cicero’s companion] remarked: “Whether it is a natural instinct or a mere illusion, I can’t say; but one’s emotions are more strongly aroused by seeing the places that tradition records to have been the favourite resort of men of note in former days, than by hearing about their deeds or reading their writings. My own feelings at the present moment are a case in point. I am reminded of Plato, the first philosopher, so we are told, that made a practice of holding discussions in this place; and indeed the garden close at hand yonder not only recalls his memory but seems to bring the actual man before my eyes.” — Cicero, De Finibus

Today the Academy survives as a large public park called Akadimia Platonos (Plato’s Academy). It is located in one of the poorer suburbs of Athens, about 20 minutes walk from the Acropolis, and the centre of the modern city. Few tourists visit the Akadimia Platonos Park but it’s popular with locals who walk their dogs, jog, and bring their children to play there. You can see the ruins of several buildings from classical antiquity, including the foundations of the palaestra or wrestling school, and a peristyle building, which could perhaps have been connected with Plato’s school. There is a statue of Plato in the nearby square, close to which there is also a small digital museum commemorating Plato’s philosophy.

When I visited Plato’s Academy Park, it surprised me that there wasn’t already an international conference centre nearby. Who wouldn’t want to attend a conference or workshop at the original location of Plato’s Academy? I started talking to my friends and colleagues about this idea and before I knew it we’d set up a nonprofit organization, registered in Greece, called The Plato’s Academy Centre, with the aim of making this dream come true. It’s still in its infancy but we’ve already created a flourishing online community as the first phase of our project to bring philosophy back to the grounds of Plato’s Academy.

The Lyceum

The Lyceum was one of the other gymnasia of ancient Athens. It’s most famous as the location chosen by Aristotle, one of Plato’s students, for his own philosophy school. However, before his time, other intellectuals taught there. According to one story, Protagoras, the first and most famous of the Sophists, had his controversial book On the Gods read here, which appears to have been an early statement of agnosticism.

As to the gods, I have no means of knowing either that they exist or that they do not exist. For many are the obstacles that impede knowledge, both the obscurity of the question and the shortness of human life. — Protagoras, On the Gods

After Aristotle’s time, we’re told that Chrysippus, the third head (scholarch) of the Stoic School lectured here for a while.

Today, the Lyceum is a beautiful garden, which contains the ruins of a palaestra, or wrestling school. There’s a ticket office, where you must pay for entry, so the site is protected from vandals, and well looked after. It is located in Kolonaki, one of the most affluent suburbs of Athens, beside the National Gardens of Athens, and about 20 minutes walk from the Acropolis, and centre of the city.

The Acropolis and Parthenon

You can’t miss the Acropolis, the huge rock at the centre of Athens, where the Parthenon, or temple of Athena Parthenos (the virgin), the patron goddess of Athens, overlooks the city. It was originally a primitive hill fort, which evolved over the centuries into a stunning temple complex, symbolizing the height of Athens’ power.

Ancient philosophers, such as Plato and the Stoics, often refer to the notion of contemplating mortal events as though seen from high above. This perspective would have been familiar to ancient Athenians as the view from atop the Acropolis, looking down on the agora, where most of the business of the city took place, far below. This is the perspective of Athena, the view from above, looking over Athens.

This is a fine saying of Plato: That he who is discoursing about men should look also at earthly things as if he viewed them from some higher place. — Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 7.48

Marcus goes on to describe looking down on events of daily life, in agoras, or city centres like the Ancient Agora of Athens. In another passage, he actually mentions an acropolis:

The mind which is free from violent passions is an acropolis, for man has nothing more secure to which he can fly for refuge and in the future be unassailable. — Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 8.48

Today, the Acropolis is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Athens, located in the very centre of the city. There are many locations around the city from which it can be viewed in all its glory, such as at the top of nearby Mount Lycabettus. You can also buy a ticket to enter the grounds and climb up the Acropolis to visit the Parthenon.

The Odeon of Herodes Atticus

There are also a number of important archeological ruins on the slopes of the Acropolis. The Odeon of Herodes Atticus is an impressive ancient theatre, still in use today for musical performances. The Foo Fighters, for instance, recorded a concert here in 2017, and Bill Murray recently released a documentary of his musical show here. Herodes Atticus was a wealthy Greek orator, and a family friend of Marcus Aurelius. He grew up in the same household, at Rome, as Marcus’ mother.

Herodes was the leading figure in a movement known as the Second Sophistic, during his lifetime, the most pre-eminent Sophist, and effectively a billionaire philanthropist, responsible for several major buildings. However, he was hated by the Athenians, and frequently embroiled in controversy, e.g., being accused at one point of kicking to death his pregnant wife. During another trial, he lost his temper with Emperor Marcus Aurelius, and lunged toward him, risking being cut down by the praetorian prefect.

Marcus does not seem to have had a high opinion of Herodes. Although, he lists mosts of his main teachers in the first book of the Meditations, praising their virtues, he never mentions Herodes, despite the fact he as a family friend, and undoubtedly the most famous intellectual involved in Marcus’ education. Ignoring Herodes Atticus, Marcus instead praises a humble, unnamed slave, who looked after him and tutored him, as a small boy, in his grandfather’s household.

The Theatre of Dionysus

Near the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, lies the older Theatre of Dionysus, where many plays were performed, including The Clouds of Aristophanes. The Clouds ridiculed Socrates, during his lifetime, and helped fuel the gossip that led to the philosopher’s trial and execution. According to one story, some visitors from another Greek city were puzzled by the portrayal of this controversial figure on stage and asked who this man was. Socrates happened to be sitting near them in the audience and smiling, introduced himself to the whole audience, showing that he was completely unfazed by the harsh satire of him being performed on stage.

The Theatre was later restored under the Roman Empire, and sculptures from this era still stand there depicting crouching Silenos figures, which arguably bear a resemblance to earlier depictions of Socrates.

The Areopagus

The Areopagus is a famous rock outcrop at the foot of the Acropolis, which served as a meeting place for political councils. It is also the location of a famous New Testament episode, called the Areopagus Sermon. Curiously, in this passage, from the Acts of the Apostles, we’re actually told that St. Paul spoke to an audience of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers here, and quoted lines from the ancient Greek poet Aratus, a student of Zeno of Citium, and possibly himself a Stoic philosopher.

The Ancient Agora of Athens

The Agora, meaning marketplace or city-centre, of ancient Athens was at the foot of the Acropolis. Socrates became associated with the agora as he chose to spend most of his time in the shops here, discussing philosophy with strangers, and his circle of friends. It is also believed that the trial of Socrates took place in the agora and that he was imprisoned and executed here.

Today the Ancient Agora is one of the most important tourist attractions in Athens, next to the Acropolis. There is a ticket booth and you pay for entry. The grounds are full of impressive archeological ruins, including the prominent temple of Hephaestus, patron god of blacksmiths, and other tradesmen. Overlooking the Ancient Agora is a large building called the Stoa of Attalos, which is actually a modern reconstruction of an ancient Greek stoa, or colonnade, two stories tall, which houses the Museum of the Ancient Agora. This is a small museum but it contains many pieces of sculpture unearthed in the grounds of the agora, including a stunning bust of Emperor Antoninus Pius, the adoptive father of Marcus Aurelius.

According to legend, Socrates spent much of his time in the shop of a cobbler called Simon. After Socrates died, Simon wrote the first Socratic dialogues, although his works are all lost today. This seemed like a fanciful myth, as Socrates was well-known for going around barefoot and placing him in a shoemaker’s shop seems deliberately ironic. However, archeologists recently unearthed cobblers nails in the ruins of a shop and, to their astonishment, nearby they also found the broken base of a kylix, or wine cup, which clearly has the name SIMON scratched upon it. This ceramic fragment can be seen exhibited in the Museum of the Ancient Agora today, and it arguably proves that Simon the Cobbler was a real person after all. Another surprising find, also exhibited in the Museum of the Ancient Agora, was a small statuette, which appears to be of Socrates himself, and was found in the ruins of the state prison, where we believe he was executed. It is as though the Athenians later felt remorse for having killed him and set up a shrine commemorating Socrates in the place where he was put to death.

The Stoa Poikile

The Stoa Poikile, or Painted Porch, was a colonnade on the edge of the Ancient Agora, facing toward the Acropolis. This is an important location because the Stoic school, which met there for centuries, was named after the Stoa Poikile. The Stoics set up their school, in other words, in the agora, among the hubbub of the city centre, where Socrates had once discussed philosophy. This perhaps marked a return to the “street philosophy” of Socrates, after Plato and Aristotle had retreated to teach in gymnasia outside the city walls.

The Stoa Poikile got its name because its wall displayed four huge paintings depicting historical and mythological battles. In a sense, it housed a small art gallery. During the life of Socrates, Athens was defeated in the Peloponnesian War, and the victors, Sparta, placed the city under the control of a military junta, called the Thirty Tyrants. The Thirty rounded up 1,400 immigrants and Democrats, seized their assets, and reputedly executed them at this location. If true, the Stoics must have realized their school met at the scene of one of the darkest incidents in Athenian history, where thousands of citizens had been summarily executed under the orders of a group of political tyrants.

Today, the ruins are in an area closed to the public, although visible through a fence. Part of the foundations of the Stoa Poikile are exposed, although the is hidden underneath adjacent buildings. Although once part of the Ancient Agora, the archeological site is separated from the rest by a train track and it is surrounded by shop and cafes on three sides. The American School for Classical Studies in Athens (ASCSA), the largest foreign archeological institute in Athens, has recently acquired some of the adjacent properties, which means they can be demolished, allowing archeologists access to the ruins underneath.

The Temple of Apollo at Delphi

Delphi was a nearby city, based around an ancient Temple to Apollo, which housed the famous Pythia, or priestess of Apollo, also known as the Delphic Oracle. The oracle was the source of many famous pronouncements. Perhaps most famously, for philosophers, it was the Delphic Oracle who pronounced that no man was wiser than Socrates, when consulted by his childhood friend, Chaerephon. In the Apology of Plato, which portrays Socrates’ defence speech during his trial, this incident features prominently. Socrates claims that he was forced to begin questioning others to try to prove that they had more wisdom than him, and show the oracle must be mistaken. That was the origin of his trademark Socratic Method, or the “question and answer” approach to doing philosophy. Socrates, effectively, says that the god Apollo, speaking through his oracle, assigned him the philosophical mission, which led to his trial.

The oracle also played an important role in the origin of Stoicism. Zeno, the founder of the Stoic school, was not an Athenian citizen but a Phoenician dye merchant, from Cyprus, who had been shipwrecked at the port of Piraeus, neighbouring ancient Athens. He traded a precious dye called Tyrian purple, made from the fermented innards of the murex sea snail. Zeno consulted the Delphic Oracle who pronounced, in typically cryptic fashion, that he should “take on the colour of dead men”. He was puzzled by this at first but eventually took it to mean that instead of dying fancy clothes purple, with dead sea snails, he should transform his own character, by dying his mind with the wisdom of dead philosophers, from previous generations. The philosopher Zeno appears to have been most impressed with was Socrates.

The famous maxims Know thyself and Nothing in Excess inscribed at the temple entrance became motifs in Greek philosophy…

Apollo was the patron god of the arts and, in a sense, this included philosophy. The Delphic Oracle was associated with hundreds of short maxims (typically two words each), which inspired many ancient philosophers. The famous maxims Know thyself and Nothing in Excess inscribed at the temple entrance became motifs in Greek philosophy, most notably in the Socratic dialogues. Several ancient sources also claim that the pre socratic philosopher, Pythagoras, was taught ethical philosophy by one of the priestesses of Apollo.

Today, Delphi is about two hours’ drive from Athens. It is one of the most astounding and beautiful archeological sites in the entire world, and definitely worth a visit. There is a small museum located in the grounds surrounding of the Temple of Apollo, which contains some stunning exhibits.

The Temple of Demeter at Eleusis

Eleusis was also a neighbouring city, located near Athens. It was the home of the Temple of Demeter, where the main religious cult of the Greek world, the Eleusinian mystery religion, was based.

During the First Marcomannic War, while the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius was busy writing the notes that survive today as the Meditations, a tribe of nomadic Sarmatian horsemen called the Costoboci, rode all the way from their home (modern-day Romania) through the Balkans, to Eleusis, where they sacked the Temple of Demeter. Marcus swore an oath around this time that after the war he would travel to Greece, in order to be initiated into the Eleusinian mysteries there. He was true to his word and visited Athens and Eleusis in 175 CE. Marcus had the temple complex rebuilt and fortified, and a bust of him, was erected over the main gate, surrounded by poppy flowers, a traditional symbol of the goddess Demeter. That statue still survives today, and can be seen among the ruins at Eleusis. (Although recently it’s head has fallen off, or perhaps been removed for repairs!)

Today, Eleusis, known as Elefsina in modern Greek, is a small town about an hour’s drive from Athens. It is a poor industrial region, lacking the splendor of Delphi. However, the ruins of the Eleusinian temple complex are quite extensive, spanning a small hill, which overlooks the nearby gulf. There is a small archeological museum at Elefsina, although I’ve never visited it because it was closed for several years, at the time when I visited.

What is Missing?

I mentioned there were three main gymnasia in ancient Athens. You can still visit the ruins of the Academy and Lyceum but the third, of the Cynosarges, or “White Dog”, nothing remains, and we’re not even certain of its location. The Cynosarges was where poorer citizens, and foreign immigrants, exercised and socialized, outside the city walls. It contained a shrine dedicated to the god Hercules. Socrates’ student, Antisthenes, a forerunner of the Cynic school, used to teach here, and it may later have become associated with Cynicism — there’s an obvious similarity between the name of the gymnasia (“White Dog”) and the school (Cynic means “Dog”). There is a modern suburb called Cynosarges but it’s unknown whether this actually corresponds to the location of the original gymnasium.

You also won’t find anything remaining of the famous Garden of Epicurus, a private, walled garden located outside the city walls. It’s exact location is unknown but it was said to lie somewhere between Plato’s Academy and the Dipylon or main gate in the city walls of Athens.

You may also stumble across a small cave in the slopes of Philopappos Hill, signposted as “The Prison of Socrates”. This is based on folklore and whatever purpose the cave originally served, there’s no evidence to suggest it was actually the prison of Socrates. Indeed, it is believed that Socrates was held in the state prison located in the middle of the Ancient Agora, the ruined foundations of which still exist today.

Conclusion

Let me know in the comments if you think I’ve missed anything, and I’ll be happy to update the article. I’ve only dealt with the locations of archeological ruins here and haven’t mentioned various other museums, which contain exhibits of interest to students of philosophy. The two best museums in Athens, in my opinion, are the Acropolis Museum and National Archeological Museum. The Benaki Museum and Numismatic Museum are also worth visiting, as is the Museum of Cycladic Art, although it relates to an earlier period in Greek history.

I hope you get a chance to visit Athens and see some of these amazing historical locations, especially the Acropolis, Agora, and nearby Delphi and Eleusis. If you’re interested in bringing philosophy back to Plato’s Academy Park, check out our Plato’s Academy Centre nonprofit startup, particularly the page explaining ways you can support the project.

The initial reviews are in! Our new graphic novel, Verissimus the Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius, currently has 4.7 stars on Amazon US…

The initial reviews are in! Our new graphic novel, Verissimus the Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius, currently has 4.7 stars on Amazon US (but 4.9 in my home of Canada!), 4.2 stars on Goodreads, and was chosen as Amazon Editor’s pick for Best History Book in July. You can read more reviews from bloggers here, including philosophy guy Greg Sadler’s awesome in-depth video review. Thanks very much to everyone who has already purchased a copy and posted a review!

I’ve been doing lots of interviews for podcasters but one of my favourites was definitely the Shaun Tabatt Show, where we were able to really discuss the background for Verissimus and creative process in more depth than normal. Let me know what you think and if you’d like to hear more!

NEWS: We’ve given away copies of the amazing poster below to competition winners but I’m hoping we can make these more widely available in the future because I think they look great. Would you want one?

What people are saying…

• Phenomenal book! I’ve genuinely enjoyed every page so far. The artwork is incredible, the book is bound well. Most importantly, the Stoic lessons are clear, concise, and really fun to consume in this format! I highly recommend this book… — Tucker Reynolds on Amazon

• This was a delightful graphic novel!! I am big fan of books on Roman history and I love comics so this was the perfect graphic novel for me. A huge make or break for me in a graphic novel is always the art and I loved the art in this book… A really accessible and enjoyable text! Loved this!! — Literaryelise on Goodreads

• The great thing about Verissimus is that it’s accessible to people of all levels of expertise. Not only will it introduce Stoicism to a new audience, but it will also help reinforce key details and concepts for those already familiar. — What is Stoicism? blog

As always, thanks for your support,

Donald Robertson

Τύχην στέργε

How to ink what it is Stoic to think

How to ink what it is Stoic to think

One of the most common questions I’m asked (honestly!) is what would make a good Stoic tattoo. If that surprises some people, it makes perfect sense to others, myself included — yes, I’m in the pro-tattoo camp! In this article, I’ll talk about the concept of Stoic tattoos, give some example phrases, and then talk about a Stoic tattoo I had done recently in Athens.

First off, Stoicism tattoos are definitely a thing. I’ve seen countless photos of people with Marcus Aurelius tattoos and the occasional quote from Seneca. There are Pinterest boards of Stoicism tattoo ideas, a blog article listing examples, and it’s a recurring question on the Stoicism Subreddit. We were paid the ultimate compliment recently when someone, out of the blue, sent us a photo of a tattoo based on artwork by Zé Nuno Fraga, the award-winning illustrator of our Stoicism graphic novel, Verissimus: the Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius.

There is, however, a logical reason for getting a Stoic tattoo. Not out of vanity, because it looks cool, but as a mnemonic or reminder.

Why Stoicism Tattoos?

It’s pretty unlikely that any ancient Stoics had tattoos. Generally, tattooing was perceived by the Greeks and Romans as a “barbarian” practice. Most slaves were of barbarian origins and it was also common, at times, to tattoo marks of ownership on slaves, e.g., on the forehead. So, basically, that would mean walking around classical Athens or the Roman Empire with a tattoo risked making you look like a slave — something you would definitely want to avoid! (Of course, a handful of Stoics were freed slaves, or barbarian immigrants, who may perhaps have had tattoos.) The ancient Scythians, in particular, were known for their elaborate animal-themed tattoos. They reputedly even inked their infants, something we couldn’t resist depicting in our graphic novel because a tattooed baby, thankfully, is not something you see every day!

There is, however, a logical reason for getting a Stoic tattoo. Not out of vanity, because it looks cool, but as a mnemonic or reminder. The Stoics followed in the footsteps of Socrates and, like their famous Athenian forebear, they were known for modelling themselves, in certain respects on the Spartans. Among other things, some of the Stoics, especially Zeno, the founder of the school, had a habit of speaking laconically. The word “laconic” means terse, a man (or woman) of few words. It comes from Lakonia, the geographical region in which the ancient city of Sparta was located. In other words, talking laconically means talking like a Spartan. For example, when Philip of Macedon, Alexander the Great’s father, was conquering Greece with his army, he sent a series of warnings to Sparta concluding with the threat that if he defeated Sparta, he would enter their city, and destroy it completely. The Spartans sent back a one word response: “If” — that’s what we mean by laconic.

Someone complained to Zeno, the founder of Stoicism. once that his philosophical arguments were extremely laconic, or short on words. He jokingly replied that, yes, they were, and if he could he would even go further and abbreviate the syllables. That, I am certain, is because the Stoics valued simplicity and plain speaking, but also because they wanted philosophical arguments, and sayings, to be easy to memorize. It’s also why the Stoics are so quotable and one of our main sources of ancient aphorisms — it’s one of the main reasons we still remember their philosophy today. Because Stoic philosophical maxims are so laconic, in other words, they’re very Tweetable, and also very tattooable!

Another obvious phrase is the famous slogan of Epictetus, endure and renounce, or anechou kai apechou in Greek…

There’s a great example of this in the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, where he basically explains that he’s condensing down the key ideas of his two favourite philosophers, Epictetus and Heraclitus, into two short phrases. In Greek they are only three words each: ὁ κόσμος ἀλλοίωσις, ὁ βίος ὑπόληψις meaning “the universe is change; life is opinion” (Meditations, 4.3).

The first means that everything in the physical universe is impermanent, Heraclitus’ famous doctrine of panta rhei, everything flows. The second, which confuses some people, refers to one of the main Stoic doctrines of Epictetus: “It’s not things that upset us but rather our opinions about them.” In other words, Marcus certainly doesn’t mean that everything is subjective but rather that our opinions shape our emotions, and thereby the quality of our life. We used that Greek slogan for the logo design on the Stoicon 2017 conference t-shirt — threw in a pretty metal-looking owl of Athena for wisdom and a memento mori skull — and they sold like hot cakes!

Another obvious phrase is the famous slogan of Epictetus, endure and renounce, or anechou kai apechou in Greek, probably an allusion to the cardinal virtues of courage and temperance. There are countless examples, though, of laconic phrases or aphorisms in Stoic texts, in both Greek and Latin. Bit of trivia: many Latin sayings from Seneca and other Roman thinkers were traditionally used on clocks and sundials. Those would also be a good source of inspiration for tattoos. How about a few more classics?

• Memento mori — everyone’s favourite! “Remember you must die”, Epictetus, though not quoting the phrase, refers in passing to slaves whispering such phrases in the ears of triumphing Roman generals

• Amor fati — “love your fate”, the Latin saying actually seems to have been coined by Nietzsche, although (deep trivia) there is an ancient Greek saying that means the same thing

• Carpe diem — “seize the day”, which everyone knows from the movie Dead Poets Society; it’s a quote from the Roman poet Horace, who had studied, and wrote about both Epicureanism and Stoicism

My Stoicism Tattoo

I’ve got three tattoos. I’ve always liked the idea of getting a tattoo in cities I want to remember. I love Athens and have spent a lot of time there, researching and writing books on philosophy. (I am a dual British/Canadian citizen, but also now a Greek permanent resident.) I’ve been thinking for a long time about getting a Greek tattoo that would remind me of some fundamental Stoic teaching. Earlier this year, I went to one of the best tattoo parlours in Athens, Acanomuta. The owner is a great guy, super fast, and talented, and probably one of the few tattooists in the world who has no tattoos himself!

I believe it’s one of the earliest Stoic quotes, and to me at least, it’s one of the most important.

The phrase I got, in ancient Greek, is Οὐδὲν δεινὸν πέπονθας or “Nothing terrible has happened to you”. I believe it’s one of the earliest Stoic quotes, and to me at least, it’s one of the most important. Zeno, the founder of the school, suffered terribly, at first, from shyness. He trained for years under the Cynic philosopher Crates of Thebes, who taught him the practice of shamelessness to get over his social anxiety. Crates instructed Zeno to go and walk around the Kerameikos district of Athens, the old cemetery and potters’ district, where prostitutes also worked. He was to do so carrying a bowl of lentil soup, though, which clearly made him feel ridiculous and ashamed. (It was perhaps kind of a weird thing to do, in a pretty crowded area.)

Zeno nervously tried to hide the soup underneath his shawl, but Crates spotted him, and smashed it with his wooden staff, causing the lentil soup to dribble down his student’s legs. Zeno started to panic, presumably because he felt really embarrassed now. The prostitutes were probably laughing at him, and we can imagine a few toothless old ladies trying to solemnly attend to the tombs of their relatives, were turning their heads and glaring at him with severe disapproval. Zeno freaked out, and tried to run, but Crates stopped him, saying: “Nothing terrible has happened to you!” What did he mean?

It’s actually a beautifully laconic expression of one of the central doctrines of Stoicism. The Stoics believed that we impose our values on external events, which, by nature, are actually neutral. Sensations, for instance, happen to us, but we judge them to be good or bad, and project those values onto them. Something causes us to fuse those two ingredients together, though, so we tend to forget what we’re doing and treat them as if they were one basic experience of a “bad sensation”, such as “Argh, this pain is awful!” Epictetus, for instance, liked to tell his students “Do not say Alas!” (or WTF?). If someone, he says, is put in prison, you can tell yourself “He has gone to prison”, but there is no need to add the complaint “Alas!”

The Stoics think we need to remind ourselves to keep these two elements separate as one comes from outside, and the other from within. We should realize that we don’t need to impose strong value judgements on our experiences, we can just view them more objectively, with Stoic indifference. In other words, quite literally, nothing “terrible” had happened to Zeno. Some soup was running down his legs. That’s just a physical sensation, neither good nor bad in itself. The “terrible” part came from within, from his own opinion about it being shameful. Other people might see it as funny, or indifferent, or as mildly awkward but not terrible — he didn’t need to view it as terrible.

The Stoics would say that’s true of life in general. “There’s nothing good or bad but thinking makes it so”, as Hamlet puts it. Physical events happen to us, and we add our value judgements to them. Strictly speaking, then, nothing terrible ever happens to us.

Do you have, or are you thinking about getting, a Stoic tattoo? Please let us know in the comments. For new ideas, check out our graphic novel, Verissimus: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius.

Wow. You really don’t know anything about this philosophy do you, but you’re outraged about what you (incorrectly) think that it teaches. Why not just go read a book about it, educate yourself a little, and learn what Stoicism is before rage-posting on articles about it?

Why do you believe he was he “bloodthirsty”? (What are your source?) Which Greek “pseudo philosophers” are you talking about? (Zeno, the founder of Stoicism, was not Greek.) You’ve written “the inspiration for Plato and Aristotle” — is that a typo? I’m not talking, at all, about the inspiration for Plato or Aristotle in this article.

Illustrating Verissimus: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius

Illustrating Verissimus: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius

Zé is the illustrator of Verissimus: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius. He won best newcomer (“Revelation Award”) at the 30th annual National Comics Awards, in Portugal, organized by Festival Amadora BD in 2020. You can follow him on Instagram or Patreon.

How does this project compare to ones you’ve worked on before?

My previous comic was about an ancient Greek play, the Assemblywomen of Aristophanes. So although that one was a comedy, I didn’t have to change style very much. The main difference from Assemblywomen is that the facial expressions were exaggerated whereas now I have Stoic and philosophical characters doing deep sage expressions all the time.

What medium and methods are you using while illustrating?

I do the sketch and ‘inks’ in pencil and then I scan it and paint it digitally.

Can you tell us a little about your art influences?

My work strays from all of the mainstream superhero comic genre and even sword-and-sorcery. It’s actually the toga-and-sandals genre! As to influences, the names I’ll say are too good to be so, their quality is outside of my grasp, so to be more precise I admire them — Juan Gimenez, Sergio Toppi. Then outside of comic Pieter Brueghel and Hieronymus Bosch.

I drew very Manga-ish at the beginning because I’d copy Anime/Manga that I liked. But eventually my Manga absolutist phase ended and my style evolved to being more personal and more European but there can be Japanese traces too.

How did you get into illustrating comics?

I was studying computer engineering but I’d spend the classes drawing instead of paying attention to the professor. In time I became somewhat decent at it and decided I should study art. (That was silly, I was actually still terrible.) My father somehow let me do this instead of sending me to work on construction sites. If a son of mine does this to me, I’ll totally send him to construction or maybe to the mines.

I couldn’t go to fine arts as I didn’t have the required high school subjects, but I found that in Spain there were art studies I could attend so I went there as an artistic refugee and was granted asylum — actually, it was just 150 miles away! 🙂 I studied illustration and comics there. While I was there, I got to go on a student exchange program to Japan. So I became a refugee from my refuge and I had some Manga classes with a teacher who used an electronic translator to talk with me. But we mostly communicated through grunts, howls and facial expressions. The Portuguese were the first Europeans to reach Japan five centuries ago, their communication was probably similar.

Were you influenced by film as well?

Maybe subconsciously but I didn’t watch any movies to prepare for this. I did however watch many Roman movies/series throughout my life like Ben-Hur or the more recent HBO Rome. Donald did send me some Roman documentaries, I watched those.

How were you approached for this piece?

Donald and I were already doing small Stoic comic strips after we E-met and he liked my art. Then a senior editor for a big US publishing house saw the strips and suggested making a graphic novel.

What’s your favourite scene in Verissimus and why?

As an illustrator, the dream and prophetic sequences are the best. I can flee from the monotony of realism and draw rabid lion-headed men, women birthing monstrous snakes and other lovely things…

Who is your favourite character and why?

The unnamed slave tutor of young Marcus. He corrects Hadrian’s mistake while the noble court fawns. He was the first Verissimus who then passed the torch of truthfulness and Stoicism to Marcus. Also he farms and I like farming. This year, although the frost ruined all my pumpkin plants and mice ate all the beet roots, I thought to myself: be like the mighty slave tutor. So I let my beard grow and found strength!

What’s the most interesting thing that you learned about Marcus Aurelius?

As I had only read The Meditations, but nothing biographical on Marcus, it was good getting to know about his personal side and his struggles. For example, not cutting the heads of those who bad-mouthed his family. How many rulers with the power to do so didn’t cut off heads? How many heads would I have cut off by now if I was emperor?! None, I hope; many I suspect!

What is your favourite quote from Marcus Aurelius and what does it mean to you?

“Choose not to be harmed — and you won’t feel harmed. Don’t feel harmed — and you haven’t been.”

When I first read that, I found it funny how our current society functions opposite to it — “Choose to feel harmed when you haven’t been. Feel harmed and you have been.” — Antimarcus.

And also these:

“The things you think about determine the quality of your mind. Your soul takes on the color of your thoughts.”

“I can control my thoughts as necessary; then how can I be troubled? What is outside my mind means nothing to it. Absorb that lesson and your feet stand firm.” I decided to absorb that lesson!

Before reading the Stoics, I was always gloomy, depressed, and lamenting my circumstances; a hostage to my thoughts. Then I started arbitrating over those thoughts, purging every useless thought as soon as it popped into my head. Shortly after applying this mind discipline, those thoughts started diminishing until they ceased. This should be basic knowledge. Just as we learn to use our legs to walk, we should learn to use our brain.

It follows some biological workings, I’ve learned. The more we use certain neurological synapses, the more they grow and we get recurrently stuck in those thought patterns. Cease to use them and they wither away. So without any change to my circumstances, I was now a happy man and the quality of my life improved exponentially.

Also interesting to note how we have an arbiter over thoughts…and that we are the arbiter, not the thoughts. Is the artiber just another brain process or…the soul? Neurosurgeons have found that the process of choosing not to go forward with an action shows no brain activity. There’s the activity of the action, but no new activity in its canceling. It’s the mysterious arbiter!

What do you hope people will take away from this book?

How to manage barbarian hordes at the border of the empire! Not just literally, but philosophically as well! The empire is our mind. The barbarian hordes, the thoughts.

Why do you think Stoicism has to do with ignoring children’s feelings? (You’re mistaken about that.) Also, Stoicism did not exist 3000 years ago!