The Students of Panaetius in Philodemus’ Stoicorum Historia

Abstract

This article compares Cicero’s testimonies concerning Roman students of Panaetius with Philodemus’ tradition, which is accessible to us through his Stoicorum Historia. While Cicero associates prominent Roman politicians of the second century BC — among them P. Cornelius Scipio Aemilianus — with Panaetius in multiple testimonies, Philodemus only attests the study of the two Samnites Marcius and Nysius and the Roman Piso — all three of whom were probably politically insignificant — with Panaetius. This can be explained by the different intended audiences of the two authors: Cicero’s readers were primarily the Roman nobiles who were (occasionally) engaged in philosophy; Philodemus, on the other hand, was addressing the members of a Greek-speaking community of practicing philosophers. The fact that the testimonies do not coincide is thus no reason to deny their historicity. It seems more appropriate to accept the existence of Italic and Roman (professional) philosophers in addition to the politicians mentioned by Cicero who were students or friends of Panaitios.