Panaetius of Rhodes

Panaetius
Panaetius, depicted as a medieval scholar in the Nuremberg Chronicle
Born	185/180 BC Rhodes
Died	110/109 BC Athens
Era	Ancient philosophy
Region	Western Philosophy
School	Stoicism
Main interests	Ethics
Influences Diogenes of Babylon, Antipater of Tarsus
Influenced Hecato, Posidonius, Cicero

Panaetius (/pəˈniːʃiəs/; Greek: Παναίτιος; c. 185 - c. 110/109 BC) of Rhodes was a Stoic philosopher. He was a pupil of Diogenes of Babylon and Antipater of Tarsus in Athens, before moving to Rome where he did much to introduce Stoic doctrines to the city. After the death of Scipio in 129 BC, he returned to the Stoic school in Athens, and was its last undisputed scholarch. With Panaetius, Stoicism became much more eclectic. His most famous work was his On Duties, the principal source used by Cicero in his own work of the same name.

Panaetius, son of Nicagoras, was born around 185-180 BC, into an old and eminent Rhodian family. He is said to have been a pupil of the linguist Crates of Mallus, who taught in Pergamum, and moved to Athens where he attended the lectures of Critolaus and Carneades, but attached himself principally to the Stoic Diogenes of Babylon and his disciple Antipater of Tarsus. Around 149 BC, he was chosen by the people of Lindos on Rhodes to be the priest of Poseidon Hippios.

Probably through Gaius Laelius, who had attended the lectures of Diogenes and then of Panaetius, he was introduced to the Aemilian Scipio Africanus and, like Polybius before him, gained his friendship. Both Panaetius and Polybius accompanied him on the Roman embassy that Scipio headed to the principal monarchs and polities of the Hellenistic east in 139-138 BC. Along with Polybius, he became a member of the Scipionic Circle.