Hippo ̄n of Kroto ̄n (450 – 430 BCE?)
Hippo ̄n (b. ca 475 BCE) continued a line of early Pythagorean natural philosophy and
Italian medicine (A, M, E); his theories concern mainly
physiology, embryology and botany. Of his two books only one literal fragment and about
20 testimonia are preserved. Kratinos in his comedy Panoptai (“All-seers” fr. 167 PCG = DK
38A2; ca 435 – 431 BCE) derides Hippo ̄n as a reprobate, which seems to be the origin of his
(hardly deserved) reputation as an atheist. Hippo ̄n’s activity is connected with traditional
centers of Pythagoreanism in Italy (Kroto ̄n, Metapontion, Rhe ̄gion), whereas Samos as
his birthplace (A fr.21) is probably a mistake. In any case, he cannot be
regarded as an epigone of the Ionian school: his principle, moisture (to hugron) seems to be
microcosmic rather than macrocosmic and is not identical to T’ water. He believed
that there is a moisture in the body due to which it feels and lives; the lack or surplus of
moisture, e.g. because of an excessive cold or heat, leads to illness and death. The soul has
a moist nature, as does male seed; the latter comes not from the brain (as Alkmaio ̄n
thought), but from marrow (this thesis Hippo ̄n tried to prove “experimentally”). Many
embryological views of Hippo ̄n are naive (sex of the child depends on what seed appeared
stronger, male or female; twins are born, if seed was more than it is necessary for one child),
though some of them survived up to the 19th c. Hippo ̄n’s materialistic monism seemed
primitive and vulgar to A, but the idea that health depends on a balance of liquids
in an organism became standard for ancient medicine.
DK 38; E. Lesky, Die Zeugungs- und Vererbungslehren der Antike und ihr Nachwirken (1950); HGP 2.354–358;
Zhmud (1997).
Leonid Zhmud
H ⇒ H
Hipponikos (of Athens?) (ca 285 – 250 BCE)
Proficient but lackluster geometry teacher whose lectures in Athens the Platonist Arkesi-
laos attended, and whom he restored to health in his own house (D L
4.32).
Netz (1997) #47.
GLIM
Hipposiade ̄s (?) (400 BCE – 300 CE)
The “Laurentian” list of medical writers (MS Laur. Lat. 73.1, f.143V = fr.13 Tecusan)
includes this otherwise unattested name. The list repeats no names, so this entry cannot be
an error for Hippo<krate ̄s... Askle ̄p>iade ̄s. Perhaps the same as H or H; or
else perhaps we should restore some name like Iasiade ̄s (LGPN 2.231: one), Dosiade ̄s (LGPN
1.145, 2.135: six; cf. the historian, FGrHist 458), So ̄siade ̄s (LGPN 1.420, 2.415, 3A.412,
3B.392: eight; cf. the non-medical author cited by I S 1.90), or most likely
Pasiade ̄s (LGPN 2.361, 3A.354, 3B.337, 4.274: 18). Cf. also E, L, and
P K.
(*)
PTK
HIPPOSIADE ̄S