Pyrilampes

Pyrilampes was an ancient Athenian politician and stepfather of the philosopher Plato. His dates of birth and death are unknown; according to estimations of Debra Nails he must have been born after 480 BC, and he must have died before 413 BC.D. Nails, "Pyrilampes", 257-258]

Pyrilampes had served many times as an ambassador to the Persian court and was a friend of Pericles, the leader of the democratic faction in Athens.Plato, "Charmides", [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0176&query=section%3D%23376&layout=&loc=Charm.%20157e 158a]
* Plutarch, "Pericles", ] He was injured at the Battle of Delium in 424 BC, when he was in his mid-fifties.D. Nails, "Pyrilampes", 258] Pyrilampes raised and showed peacocks, gifts he had received on his Asian embassies. Plutarch states accusations against Pyrilampes, according to which he used the peacocks to procure freeborn women for Pericles.Plutarch, "Pericles", ]

Pyrilampes appears to have married his first wife in the late 440s; he had a son from this marriage, Demus, who was famous for his beauty. [Plato, "Gorgias", [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0178;query=section%3D%23620;layout=;loc=Gorg.%20481c 481d] and [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0178;query=section%3D%23778;layout=;loc=Gorg.%20513chttp://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0178;query=section%3D%23620;layout=;loc=Gorg.%20481c 513b]
* Aristophanes, "Wasps", [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0044;query=card%3D%233;layout=;loc=54 97] ] C. 423 BC Pyrilampes had been widowed, and he was free to marry his niece, Perictione, Plato's mother. Perictione gave birth to Pyrilampes' second son, Antiphon, the half-brother of Plato, who appears in "Parmenides", where he is said to have given up philosophy, in order to devote most of his time to horses.Plato, "Parmenides", [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0174;query=section%3D%233;layout=;loc=Parm.%20126b 126c] ]

Citations

References

*Aristophanes, "The Wasps". "See original text in [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0043:line=1 Perseus program] ".
*cite book|last=Nails|first=Debra|title=The People of Plato: A Prosopography of Plato and Other Socratics |year=2002 | publisher=Hackett Publishing| id=ISBN 0-872-20564-9|chapter=Pyrilampes
*Cite wikisource|Charmides|Plato. See original text in [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0175:text=Charm.:section=153a Perseus program] .
*Cite wikisource|Gorgias|Plato. "See original text in [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0177:text=Gorg.:section=447a Perseus program] ".
*Plato, "Parmenides". "See original text in [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0173:text=Parm.:section=126a Perseus program] ".
* . See original text in [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0181:text=Per.:chapter=39:section=1 Perseus program] .