Melissus of Samos

Melissos of Elea (also Melissos of Samos; * to 490 BC; † 430 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher and naval commanders. He lived around the middle of the 5th century BC and is considered one of the pre-Socratics.

Originally he came from Samos. But he spent most of his life in southern Italy as supporters of the Eleatic school. To 441 BC, when the Samians took a revolt against Athens, he is said to be the commander of the Samian fleet and the Athenians defeated in a naval battle ( or more ). However, he finally succumbed, despite these successes, his opponent Pericles.

His teachers were Parmenides of Elea and Zeno of Elea. As she tried to justify the doctrine that there is no change also Melissos - nothing in the world - neither movement nor growth and decay. For this reason it is considered the sensual perception, which pretends changes than deceptive appearance. His works over the being and about the nature have survived only in fragments.

Source collections and translations

• Laura Gemelli Marciano (eds. ): The pre-Socratic philosophers. Volume 3, Artemis & Winkler, Mannheim 2010, ISBN 978-3-538-03502-7, pp. 180-220 ( Greek source texts with German translation, notes and introduction to the life and work )