Cleinias of Tarentum

Cleinias (Ancient Greek: Κλεινίας; 4th-century BCE) of Tarentum was a Pythagorean philosopher,^[1] and a contemporary and friend of Plato, as appears from the story (perhaps otherwise worthless) which Diogenes Laërtius gives on the authority of Aristoxenus, to the effect that Plato wished to burn all the writings of Democritus which he could collect, but was prevented by Cleinias and Amyclus of Heraclea.^[2] In his practice, Cleinias was a true Pythagorean. Thus we hear that he used to assuage his anger by playing on his harp; and, when Prorus of Cyrene had lost all his fortune through a political revolution, Cleinias, who knew nothing of him except that he was a Pythagorean, took on himself the risk of a voyage to Cyrene, and supplied him with money to the full extent of his loss.^{[3][4][5][6][7][8][9]}

References

1. ^ Elder, Edward (1867). "Cleinias". In William Smith. Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. 1. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. pp. 782. http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/0791.html. 
2. ^ Diogenes Laërtius, ix. 40
3. ^ comp. Thrige, Res Cyrenensium, § 48
4. ^ Iamblichus of Chalcis, Vit. Pyth. 27, 31, 33
5. ^ Claudius Aelianus, Varia Historia xiv. 23
6. ^ Perizon. ad loc.
7. ^ Chamael. Pont. ap. Athenaeus xiv. 623, f.
8. ^ Diodorus Siculus, Fragm. lib. x.
9. ^ Johann Albert Fabricius, Bibl. Graec. i. pp. 840, 886

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology by William Smith (1870).