Person

Anaxagoras

c. 500–428 BCE · 5th century BCE

Anaxagoras was a Greek philosopher from Clazomenae in Ionia who brought philosophy to Athens, where he lived for about 30 years in the circle of Pericles. He taught that Mind (nous) set the cosmos in order and that the Sun was a fiery stone, which led to a charge of impiety. He withdrew to Lampsacus, where he died and was honoured by the citizens.

Anaxagoras
Image: Eduard Lebiedzki, after a design by Carl Rahl · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 2 state histories

ClazomenaeLampsacus

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Anaxagoras. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/anaxagoras
MLA
“Anaxagoras.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/anaxagoras. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Anaxagoras.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/anaxagoras.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Anaxagoras’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/anaxagoras (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻