Lives of the Stoics: The Art of Living From Zeno to Marcus Aurelius

Boldface indicates either philosophers who were a universal influence on all Stoics afterward or a Stoic person/place/event.

BC

535–475

Life of Heraclitus of Ephesus (influenced all the early Stoics)

490

First Persian invasion of Greece and the Battle of Marathon

470

Birth of Socrates outside the walls of Athens

450s

Completion of the Stoa Poikilē, the famous “painted porch” on the Athenian agora

430

Birth of Xenophon of Athens, student of Socrates

412

Birth of Diogenes of Sinope, founder with Antisthenes and Crates of Thebes of the Cynic school

399

Trial and execution of Socrates in Athens

387

Plato founds the Academy in Athens

384

Birth of Aristotle in Stagira, Chalkidiki

382

Birth of Antigonus the One-Eyed in Elimiotis, Macedonia

371

Birth of Theophrastus, successor to Aristotle, in Eresos, Lesbos

365

Birth of Crates of Thebes, Cynic student of Diogenes of Sinope

360

Birth of Stilpo of Megara

356

Birth of Alexander the Great in Pella, Macedonia

354

Death of Xenophon, whose book on Socrates would convert Zeno to philosophy

347

Aristotle establishes first school in Assos

343

Aristotle appointed tutor of the young Alexander the Great

336

Philip II of Macedon murdered; Alexander succeeds him

335

Aristotle founds the Lyceum in Athens

334

Birth of Zeno, founding scholarch (official head) of the Stoa, in Kition, Cyprus

333

Alexander liberates Cyprus from Persian rule

330

Birth of Cleanthes, the second scholarch of the Stoa, in Assos

323

Death of Alexander and start of the Wars of Succession

Death of Diogenes of Sinope in Corinth

323–322

Aristotle departs Athens for Chalcis, Euboea, where he dies in 322; Theophrastus succeeds him as head of the Lyceum

312

Zeno arrives in Athens following a shipwreck (following Persaeus’s account “at age twenty-two”)

Kition’s last king, Pumathion, killed by Ptolemy I

306

Epicurus founds his school in Athens

Demetrius the Besieger takes Cyprus from Ptolemy I; declares his father, Antigonus the One-Eyed, king

Birth of Persaeus of Kition, student, roommate, and personal secretary to Zeno

Birth of Aristo of Chios

305–304

Demetrius besieges Rhodes

301

Death of Antigonus the One-Eyed at the Battle of Ipsus, Phrygia

Zeno begins teaching at the Stoa Poikilē

279

Birth of Chrysippus, the third scholarch of the Stoa, in Soli, Cilicia

Gauls invade Macedonia, desecrating the royal tombs, killing Karaunos; aborted invasion of Greece

278

Antigonus II Gonatas and Antiochus I reach treaty creating Europe/Asia division

276

Antigonus II reestablished as king of Macedonia

Zeno of Kition and Aratus of Soli invited to Antigonus’s court in Pella

Ptolemy II defeated by Antiochus I in Syria

272

Victories by Ptolemy II in southern Anatolia

264

Arcesilaus succeeds as sixth head of the Academy, and is a primary skeptical opponent of the early Stoics

Antigonus II puts Athens under siege (until 262)

262

Death of Zeno, the founding scholarch of Stoicism, in Athens; succeeded by Cleanthes

261

Antigonus II defeats the navy of Ptolemy II at the Battle of Cos

256–253

Antigonus II restores Athenian autonomy, pulling his garrison out of Athens

245

Ptolemy III Euergetes appoints Eratosthenes, who studied with Zeno and Aristo, to head of the Library of Alexandria and as tutor to Ptolemy IV Philopator

243

Death of Zeno’s student and roommate Persaeus at battle with Aratus in Corinth

239

Death of Antigonus II

Seleucus defeated by Antiochus Hierax, retreating to Cilicia

235

Sphaerus joins the court of Cleomenes, king of Sparta

230

Death of Cleanthes in Athens; succeeded by Chrysippus

Birth of Diogenes in Seleucia on the Tigris in Babylon; he would become the fifth scholarch of the Stoa

226

A great quake topples the Colossus of Rhodes

222

Cleomenes III defeated by Antigonus III Doson, escapes to Egypt