Life of Pythagoras

Pythagoras

Born: c. 570 BCE | Died: c. 495 BCE, Metapontum (Southern Italy)

"Pythagoras (Greece) – Father of Mathematics"

Full Name: Pythagoras of Samos | Birthplace: Samos Island, Ionia (present-day part of Greece)

Pythagoras was born on the island of Samos, which was a significant intellectual center of Greek civilization at that time.

Introduction

Pythagoras is a name that instantly brings to mind the Pythagorean Theorem. But did you know that this mathematician was not limited to mathematics alone? He was also a philosopher, music theorist, and religious thinker.In this article, we will explore the complete life of Pythagoras — from his childhood, parents, and education, to his discoveries, marriage, disciples, social philosophy, and death — in depth.

Parents and Family of Pythagoras

Father's Name: Mnesarchus – a merchant

Mother's Name: Pythais – a respected woman believed to be connected to the priests of Delphi.

Mnesarchus was a wealthy merchant who dealt in jewelry and precious stones. It is said that he named his son Pythagoras based on the advice of an oracle at Delphi.

Marriage of Pythagoras

Wife's Name: Theano

She was a disciple of Pythagoras and was herself a mathematician and philosopher.

Many scholars believe that she married Pythagoras and later took charge of the activities of the Pythagorean school.

In some texts, Theano is also regarded as Pythagoras’s collaborator and a promoter of his teachings.

Wife Theano's Contribution

She wrote treatises on women’s education, ethics, and mathematics.

Texts such as “Theano’s Golden Verses” are attributed to her... (though some scholars question their authenticity).

She was the leading female representative of Pythagoreanism.

Children and Related Information

Some historical sources mention the children of Pythagoras and Theano:

Children	Description
Myia	Their daughter, who worked on women's education and was known as a philosopher. According to some sources, she supported communal education.
Telauges	Their son, who carried forward Pythagoras’s ideas and managed his school. Some believe he documented his father's knowledge.

Pythagoras's Education and Journey of Learning

From an early age, Pythagoras displayed a deep thirst for knowledge. His initial education took place on the island of Samos, which at the time was a major cultural and intellectual center of ancient Greece. There, he received foundational training in mathematics, poetry, music, and philosophy. But his intellectual journey did not stop there—driven by a quest for deeper wisdom, he set out on extensive travels.

In his youth, Pythagoras traveled to Egypt, where he is believed to have spent nearly 20 years studying with ancient Egyptian priests. During this time, he acquired profound knowledge in geometry, astronomy, and religious philosophy. This period marked a critical phase in his life, shifting his thinking toward mysticism and symbolic mathematics.

Later, he was taken to Babylon, where he studied under Chaldean scholars, learning about numerology, astronomy, and the mystical meanings of numbers. Some sources even suggest that Pythagoras may have traveled to India, where he encountered spiritual and mathematical teachings from Indian sages. Although this claim lacks strong historical evidence, certain concepts in Pythagoras's philosophy—such as yoga and the soul-chakra system—bear striking similarities to Indian thought.

Pythagoras’s education was not limited to books or teachers. He was a curious seeker who absorbed the wisdom of multiple civilizations and shaped his ideas through direct experience. For him, knowledge was not merely information—it was a path to purification of the soul and a means to understand the true purpose of life.

This is why Pythagoras became known not only as a mathematician, but also as a sage and philosopher.

Pythagoras’s Education System

His school had two types of students:

Acusmaticoi: These students received oral teachings, listening silently to the master’s instructions without questioning.

Mathematikoi: These were advanced students, taught in-depth mathematics, music, astronomy, and philosophy.

Pythagoras laid the foundation of a "living education system" in which learning was based not on rote memorization, but on experience and reasoning.

Who continued his teachings?

After the death of Pythagoras, his teachings were carried forward by some of his prominent disciples:

Philolaus: The most renowned disciple, who was among the first to state that "the Earth is not the center of the universe."
Theano: His wife and a teacher of philosophy.
Aristoxenus: Contributed significantly to the field of music theory.

Major Discoveries and Contributions

(1) Pythagorean Theorem:
His most famous contribution, which states:
In a right-angled triangle, the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides.
a² + b² = c²

(2) Contribution to Number Theory:
He classified numbers into categories such as prime, perfect, and amicable numbers.

He proposed the idea that "Numbers are the soul of the universe."

(3) Mathematics in Music:
He discovered that there is a mathematical relationship between the length of strings and the pitch of sound.

He was the first to explain the connection between musical notes and mathematical ratios.

(4) Ideas in Astronomy:
He believed that the Earth is spherical and rotates on its axis.

He proposed the concept of the "Music of the Spheres", suggesting that celestial bodies move in harmony like musical notes.

Pythagoras's Role in Philosophy

Pythagoras is considered not just a mathematician, but also a great philosopher. In fact, he is credited with coining the term “Philosophy”, which means “Love of Wisdom.”

He believed that:

The soul is immortal and, after the death of the body, it enters a new one.
Everything in the universe is governed by numbers.
The true purpose of life is the purification of the soul, self-restraint, and the attainment of higher consciousness.

The Mysterious Society of Pythagoras

“Pythagorean Order” or “Brotherhood”

This order was not like a regular school. It was a secretive, structured, and disciplined society. To gain entry:

A person had to observe silence for five years.
They had to be vegetarian, moral, and free from intoxicants.
They believed the Sun, Moon, and numbers to be divine.

Rules and Prohibitions:

Eating beans was forbidden (possibly for religious or symbolic reasons).
Untying shoelaces at night was not allowed.
They would greet the Sun at dawn and practice meditation.

Women were also allowed to participate in this society — a revolutionary idea for that era.

Contemporary Scientists and Thinkers of Pythagoras

Pythagoras (570 BCE – 495 BCE) lived during a period of great scientific and philosophical revolution in the ancient world. Many brilliant thinkers and scientists emerged during his lifetime, whose ideas added depth and direction to global knowledge. Some of the key contemporaries are described below:

1. Thales of Miletus

Country: Greece (Ionia)
Philosophy: Considered the father of Western philosophy.
Contributions: Proposed that water is the fundamental element of creation. Also made pioneering contributions in astronomy and geometry.
Influence on Pythagoras: Thales is believed to be Pythagoras’s first philosophical inspiration. It is said that Thales advised him to travel to Egypt for advanced studies.

2. Anaximander

Country: Greece
Philosophy: Described "Apeiron" (the infinite or indefinite) as the fundamental cause of the universe.
Contributions: Offered early concepts in geography, astronomy, and biology.
Relation to Pythagoras: Both deeply contemplated the structure of the universe and the nature of elements, though their approaches differed.

3. Confucius

Country: China
Philosophy: Advocated for morality, education, discipline, and social order.
Relation: Although there was no direct contact, it is fascinating that while Pythagoras was promoting purity of the soul and philosophy in Greece, Confucius was laying the foundations of ethics and social justice in China.

4. Gautama Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama)

Country: India
Philosophy: A philosophy centered around suffering, compassion, and liberation (moksha).
Contemporaneity: Although Buddha was born in the later years of Pythagoras’s life, both shared strikingly similar views on the soul, reincarnation, and ethical living.

5. Heraclitus

Country: Greece
Philosophy: Known for the idea that "change is the only constant" (“Everything flows”).
Contributions: Viewed the universe as dynamic and philosophically ever-changing.
Contrast with Pythagoras: While Pythagoras emphasized numbers and harmony, Heraclitus focused on the presence of contradictions and constant flux in the cosmos.

Were Pythagoras and the Buddha Contemporaries?

Pythagoras' Era: 570–495 BCE
Gautama Buddha's Era: Around 563–483 BCE

This is not merely a coincidence, but a historical indication that a wave of enlightenment, reincarnation, and meditation was flowing simultaneously in both the East and the West.

It is possible that some of Pythagoras’ ideas were inspired by the Buddhist or Vedantic traditions of India.

Interesting Anecdotes and Events

Secretive Lifestyle: His followers took oaths to keep his teachings confidential.
Practice of Silence: Disciples were trained to remain silent for several years as a form of discipline.
Reincarnation: Pythagoras claimed that he could remember his past lives.

Pythagoras’s Connection with India?

Some Greek and Indian scholars claim that Pythagoras visited India, where he learned Vedic mathematics, yoga, and the concept of reincarnation, and later propagated these ideas in Greece.

India already had well-established concepts of soul (ātman), karma, and rebirth.

Many of Pythagoras’s teachings closely align with India’s Sāṅkhya and Yoga philosophies.

Pythagoras’s Theories and Their Influence

Pythagoras's influence was not limited to his own time — he also inspired great thinkers like Plato and Aristotle.

His Theories:

Field	Contribution / Theory
Mathematics	Pythagorean Theorem, Classification of Numbers, Factorization Analysis
Music	Relationship between string length and frequency of sound
Astronomy	Harmony of the Spheres, Theory of Earth's shape and motion
Philosophy	Immortality of the soul, Reincarnation, Purpose of life is purification of the soul
Religion	Belief in one God, Simple living, Discipline, Morality, and Self-control

Pythagoras’ Musical Universe – “Music of the Spheres”

Concept:
Pythagoras believed that the movements, distances, and orbits of planets and stars produce a form of music — one that cannot be heard directly by human ears but is always present throughout the universe.

This is what came to be known as “Music of the Spheres”

He explained this concept using the mathematical relationship between string vibration, length, and sound.

Significance:

This idea can be seen today in quantum physics, space resonance theory, and cosmic wave theory.

He stated that every celestial body produces a unique vibration that makes the universe function like a “musical composition.”

Pythagoras’ Numerical Mysticism

Pythagoras believed that divine mysteries were hidden behind numbers. He considered certain numbers to be sacred:

Number	Symbolic Meaning
1	Unity, God
2	Duality, Femininity
3	Balance, Trinity
4	Justice, Stability
5	Life, Human
10	Perfection (Tetractys)

What is the Tetractys?

A special triangular figure that forms 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 = 10.
Pythagoras regarded it as a symbol of perfection, the universe, and divinity.

Lesser-Known Contributions to Mathematics — What Most People Don’t Know

Pythagoras and his followers elevated mathematics to a creative and mystical level.

Notable Rare Contributions:

Classification of Numbers:

Perfect Numbers – such as 6, 28
Amicable Numbers – such as 220 and 284

Connecting Mathematics and Geometry:

For example: Number = Shape = Universe

Linking Natural Phenomena with Numbers:

Examples — the motion of the Sun, the phases of the Moon, and the pitch of sound

Pythagoras and Compassion for Animals

Pythagoras was strictly vegetarian and believed that all living beings possess the same soul.

He never caused harm to any animal.

He advised his followers to abstain from eating meat.

Some sources claim that he even led movements to shut down slaughterhouses.

Comparison of Pythagoras’ Doctrines with Indian Rishis

Pythagoras	Indian Philosophy
The soul is immortal	The soul is eternal (Upanishads)
Reincarnation	Rebirth (Gita, Vedas)
Practice of silence	Vow of silence (Mauna Sadhana)
Vegetarianism	Ahimsa is the highest virtue
Meditation	Yoga and Samadhi
Music in the cosmos	Nāda Brahma (Sound is Divine)

This table clearly shows that thinkers from the East and the West were expressing the same truth in different languages.

Pythagoras vs. Baudhayana: A Trigonometry Debate?

India's Vedic mathematician Baudhayana also described a concept similar to the 'Pythagorean Theorem:

"The diagonal of a rectangle produces both the areas which its length and breadth produce separately."

Its meaning

𝑎² + 𝑏² = 𝑐²

This shows that the theorem has been a shared knowledge of world culture — independently discovered by different civilizations."

What is the controversy?

Some scholars believe that this theorem was known in India even before Pythagoras.

It dates back to around 800–900 BCE, while Pythagoras was born in 570 BCE.

Modern Things Named After Pythagoras

Name	Description
Pythagorean Theorem	A fundamental theorem of mathematics
Pythagorean Cup	A science-based cup that empties itself if overfilled
Pythagorean Expectation (Baseball)	Used in sports mathematics to estimate team performance
Pythagorean Tuning	A method of organizing musical scales
Pythagorean Hodograph Curves	Useful curves in computer graphics and animation

Golden Ratio and Pythagoras

Pythagoras gave a mathematical definition of beauty — which is now known as the Golden Ratio (1.618...).

This ratio is found in nature, the human body, architecture, and painting.

Field	Examples
Human Body	Facial structure, finger lengths
Art	Mona Lisa, Egyptian Pyramids
Nature	Flower petals, sea shells
Architecture	Parthenon Temple

Influence of Pythagoras in Modern Films, Books, and Documentaries

Medium	Examples
Book	The Music of the Spheres, Pythagoras and the Number Mysteries
Documentary	BBC's "The Story of Maths", Netflix’s “The Code”
Film	Several films like Pi (1998) and The Man Who Knew Infinity indirectly reflect his ideas

Why Didn’t Pythagoras Leave Behind Any Written Texts?

It is quite mysterious that such a great thinker left no written works.

Possible reasons include:

His disciples were the ones who carried forward his teachings.
Knowledge was preserved in oral form.
Documents were destroyed after an attack on his school.

Therefore, most of the available information comes from the writings of other authors (such as Aristotle, Diogenes, and Proclus).

Pythagoras’ Mysterious Death

There are various accounts about the death of Pythagoras, making it a subject of great mystery:

Major Theories:

Murder in Sybaris:

During a political revolt, his school was attacked and set on fire.

He was either killed there or died while escaping.

Death and Beans:

According to a legend, Pythagoras forbade touching beans.

While escaping attackers, he came upon a bean field, refused to cross it, and was killed there.

Why?
Some believe he deliberately chose self-sacrifice, as he did not want to compromise his principles.

Today, it remains an academic mystery — were his very ideals the cause of his death?

The End of the “Pythagorean Cult”

After Pythagoras’ death, his followers:

either went into hiding,
or migrated to other regions and formed separate branches.

Some groups preserved his teachings as secret doctrines.
This is why his ideology continued to thrive for centuries within secret societies.

Legacy of Pythagoras: Who Came After Him?

After Pythagoras, his followers spread his teachings across various fields.

Name	Contribution
Philolaus	First to document Pythagoras' ideas
Archytas	New innovations in mathematics and music
Hippasus	Discovered irrational numbers, which led to his expulsion

All of them collectively kept Pythagoreanism alive in philosophy and science.

Major Scientists and Philosophers Contemporary or Near to Pythagoras

Scientist / Philosopher	Country / Region	Lifespan (Approx.)	Major Contributions	Relation to Pythagoras
Thales	Greece (Miletus)	624–546 BCE	Geometry, Astronomy	Considered an early inspiration for Pythagoras. His influence led Pythagoras to study in Egypt and Babylon.
Anaximander	Greece	610–546 BCE	Geography, Astronomy, Philosophy	Offered a creative explanation of the universe. Pythagoras adopted his concept of "Apeiron" (infinite) into his number theory.
Anaximenes	Greece	586–526 BCE	Theory of Atmospheric Elements	Believed air was the origin of matter. Pythagoras disagreed, believing numbers were the true origin.
Confucius	China	551–479 BCE	Ethics, Politics, Education	Emphasized moral discipline and virtue like Pythagoras. Both promoted a disciplined and virtuous life.
Buddha (Gautama Buddha)	India	563–483 BCE	Meditation, Compassion, Middle Path	Both advocated self-discipline, vegetarianism, and balanced life through spiritual practice.
Heraclitus	Greece	535–475 BCE	"Everything flows", Dualism	Held views opposite to Pythagoras's stability-based philosophy. Believed change is the only constant.
Parmenides	Greece	515–450 BCE	Theory of the Unity of Being	Contrary to Pythagoras's number-form philosophy, he claimed change is an illusion. Both had abstract, logic-based philosophies.
Empedocles	Greece	494–434 BCE	Four Classical Elements (Water, Air, Earth, Fire)	Active after Pythagoras's death, he carried forward ideas like discipline and reincarnation.
Hippasus	Greece	Around 500 BCE	Irrational Numbers	Was a follower of Pythagoras. Revealed irrational numbers like √2, which were kept secret. Legend says he was punished with death for it.

Major Books Written on Pythagoras

Book Title	Author	Country	Language	Description
Life of Pythagoras	Porphyry	Roman Empire (present-day Lebanon)	Ancient Greek	The earliest biography. It describes Pythagoras' moral teachings and mysticism.
Life of Pythagoras	Iamblichus	Syria (Neo-Platonist philosopher)	Ancient Greek	This book is more philosophical and religious. It describes Pythagoras' life, ethics, and spiritual purity.
The Pythagorean Sourcebook and Library	Kenneth Sylvan Guthrie	USA	English	A modern compilation that includes English translations of works by Porphyry, Iamblichus, and other ancient writers.
The World of Pythagoras	Mary Gow	USA	English	Written for young readers, this book explains Pythagoras’ life and mathematical contributions in simple language.
Pythagoras and the Delphic Mysteries	Édouard Schuré	France	French (later English)	A philosophical and spiritual work interpreting Pythagoras’ religious and esoteric teachings.
The Pythagorean Philosophy	Thomas Stanley	England	English	A 17th-century book discussing Pythagoras' lifestyle, philosophy, and moral doctrines.

Languages in which writings on Pythagoras have been produced:

Language	Description
Ancient Greek	The language of original authors such as Porphyry and Iamblichus
Latin	Many texts were translated into Latin during the Roman era
Arabic	During the Islamic Golden Age, Pythagoras's mathematical ideas were translated
English	Most modern studies and translations are available in this language
French	European philosophers expanded on Pythagoras's teachings in French
German, Spanish, Italian	Translations and studies are also available in these European languages

Did You Know? (Fun Facts)

Pythagoras introduced the concept of dividing time into 24 hours.
He discovered “twin numbers”, which are still useful in numerical analysis today.
He considered astrology, healing, meditation, and lifestyle as integral parts of science.

Conclusion:

Pythagoras — A Vision, A Tradition, An Inspiration

Pythagoras was not just a mathematician — he was a seer, who saw the universe in numbers and sought to understand life through the lens of mathematics.

To him, mathematics was not merely a tool for counting, but a pathway to purity of the soul, cosmic harmony, and the deeper meaning of existence.

He founded a tradition — Pythagoreanism, which survived for centuries as a blend of mathematics, music, astrology, meditation, and moral philosophy.

Today, when we learn the “Pythagorean Theorem” as a school chapter, we often forget the mind behind it — a mind that tried to bridge the worlds of numbers and the soul.

Perhaps Pythagoras’s greatest legacy is this:
“A way of thinking that unites science and spirit in the search for truth.”