Diogenes of Sinope
c. 412 BCE–c. 323 BCE · Sinope
Diogenes the Cynic (c. 412–323 BCE), the most famous Cynic philosopher, who made poverty and shamelessness a deliberate philosophy and, asked where he came from, answered 'I am a citizen of the world' (kosmopolitēs) — coining cosmopolitanism.
“Stand a little out of my sun.”
Did you know?
Diogenes and Alexander the Great died in the same year
Diogenes the Cynic — who, when Alexander the Great offered to grant him any wish, is said to have asked only that the king step out of his sunlight — died in 323 BCE, the very same year as Alexander himself. One ancient tradition even holds they died on the same day, though scholars treat that as legend.
How we know
Diogenes of Sinope c. 412–323 BCE; Alexander the Great 356–323 BCE (d. June 323 BCE, Babylon). Same-day death is a tradition in Diogenes Laërtius, treated as legend.
The philosopher who was auctioned off as a slave
Ancient biographers report that Diogenes of Sinope, the founding figure of the Cynics, was captured by pirates and put up for sale as a slave. Asked at the auction what he could do, he is said to have answered “govern men” — and told the seller to offer him to a buyer in need of a master.
How we know
Diogenes of Sinope c. 412–323 BCE; the enslavement anecdote is from Diogenes Laërtius, Lives 6.29ff (sold to Xeniades of Corinth), a traditional and possibly apocryphal report.
Life journeyclick any stop, or use ←/→
SinopePontus
What they did here
Born at Sinope on the Black Sea c.412 BCE, son of Hicesias, a banker/money-changer. Diogenes Laertius (6.20) reports he was exiled after a scandal involving defacing or adulterating the coinage (paracharaxis).
About Sinope
Sinope, modern Sinop on the Black Sea coast of northern Turkey, was a Greek colony of Pontus, founded by settlers from Miletus. It was the birthplace of Diogenes the Cynic, who was exiled from the city and went on to live in Athens and Corinth.
In Sinope at the same time
In the same place & time
Sages whose lives overlapped with Diogenes of Sinope’s in the same cities, drawn from their recorded journeys.
In the same tradition
Sophocles, Gorgias of Leontini, Euripides, Antiphon, Socrates, Prodicus, Democritus, Thucydides, Critias, Antisthenes, Aristophanes, Lysias, Andocides, Isocrates, Alcidamas, Xenophon, Plato, Isaeus
The world in their lifetime
Thinkers, teachers, and rulers whose lives overlapped with Diogenes of Sinope’s — a glimpse of the wider world they lived in. Drawn purely from recorded birth and death years.
Graeco-Roman world
- Hippocrates· 460 BCE–370 BCE
- Archytas of Tarentum· 435 BCE–347 BCE
- Aristippus of Cyrene· 435 BCE–356 BCE
- Speusippus· 408 BCE–338 BCE
- Xenocrates of Chalcedon· 396 BCE–314 BCE
- Apollodorus son of Pasion· 394 BCE–
- Eudoxus of Cnidus· 390 BCE–337 BCE
- Lycurgus· 390 BCE–324 BCE
- Hyperides· 390 BCE–322 BCE
- Hegesippus· 390 BCE–
- Heraclides Ponticus· 390 BCE–310 BCE
- Aeschines· 389 BCE–314 BCE
- Philip of Opus· 385 BCE–
- Demosthenes· 384 BCE–322 BCE
- Aristotle· 384 BCE–322 BCE
- Philip II of Macedon· 382 BCE–336 BCE
- Demades· 380 BCE–319 BCE
- Aristoxenus· 375 BCE–315 BCE
- Theophrastus· 371 BCE–287 BCE
- Crates of Thebes· 365 BCE–285 BCE
- Dinarchus· 360 BCE–290 BCE
- Hecataeus of Abdera· 360 BCE–290 BCE
- Dicaearchus of Messana· 360 BCE–285 BCE
- Menander· 342 BCE–290 BCE
Scientists
Egyptian world
Luminaries & Explorers world
Buddhist world
Works
No works attributed in the corpus yet.