various theaters of war around the Aegean suggest
the language of periploi and periodoi ge ̄s. He
shows interest in the origins of place names, histor-
ical geography, and topographical detail, even when
not relevant to his narrative.
Thucydide ̄s shows the influence of H
in his description of the plague at Athens in 430
(2.47.3–54.5), which he himself contracted, and for
which he provides an epidemiology and detailed
prognosis. Thucydide ̄s’ description of symptoms
suggests adherence to contemporary medical doc-
trine rather than exact observation, while his lan-
guage is not technical in the manner of medical
writers, leaving key details ambiguous. The possibil-
ity that the disease has altered in its course,
symptoms and virulence over the intervening
millennia must also be considered. This has led to
extensive debate about the nature of the disease:
many candidates have been proposed, including
typhus, influenza with toxic shock syndrome, and
smallpox. Recent DNA analysis of remains found
in mass burial pits in the Kerameikos cemetery points to typhoid fever as the cause
of the plague. Although doubts about the accuracy of Thucydide ̄s’ description remain,
his recognition of the corrosive effects of epidemics on social order, and the long-
term implications for political and military affairs, is unparalleled among ancient
historians.
L. Pearson “Thucydides and the Geographical Tradition,” CQ 33 (1939) 49–54; F. Sieveking, “Die
Funktion geographischer Mitteilungen im Geschichtswerk des Thukydides,” Klio 42 (1964) 73–179;
J. Scarborough, “Thucydides, Greek medicine and the plague at Athens. A summary of possi-
bilities,” Episteme 4 (1970) 77–90; T.E. Morgan, “Plague or poetry?” TA PA 124 (1994) 197–207;
OCD3 1516 – 1521, H.T. Wade-Gery et al.; M. J. Papagrigorakisa et al., “DNA examination of ancient
dental pulp incriminates typhoid fever as a probable cause of the Plague of Athens,” International
Journal of Infectious Diseases 10 (2006) 206–214.
Philip Kaplan
Thumaridas (of Paros?) (400 BCE – 200 CE)
In his Life of Pythagoras (33.239.7–240.2; cf. 36.267.34–35, where “Eumaridas” is listed as a
well-known Pythagorean from Paros), I gives, as an illustration of friendship,
a story about a man collecting money and sailing to Paros to give it to the Parian Pythago-
rean Thumaridas, who had fallen into poverty. Elsewhere (28.145.4–5) Iamblikhos mentions
a Pythagorean Thumaridas from Tarentum, and he lists (28.104.7) some Thumaridas as
a pupil of P himself. In his commentary on the Introduction to Arithmetic of
N, Iamblikhos ascribes to a Thumaridas the definition of the arithmetical unit
as limiting quantity (perainousa posote ̄s: 11.2–3) and a characterization of prime numbers as
rectilinear (euthugrammikos, 27.4), i.e., perhaps, not representable as rectangular arrays
of points, but only as straight lines. Most strikingly Iamblikhos (62.18–63.2) attributes
Thucydide ̄s of Athens © Holkham Hall
THUMARIDAS (OF PAROS?)