Cave of Pythagoras

Cave of Pythagoras
Pythagoras' Cave
View from Pythagoras' cave.
Map
LocationSamos, Greece
Coordinates37°43′42″N 26°39′34″E / 37.7283509°N 26.6593376°E / 37.7283509; 26.6593376

The Cave of Pythagoras (Greek: Σπηλιά του Πυθαγόρα, romanized: Spiliá tou Pythagóra) or Pythagoras' Cave (Greek: Σπηλιά Πυθαγόρα, romanized: Spiliá Pythagóra) is a cavern on the slopes of Mount Kerketeas, the highest mountain on the island of Samos. The cave is believed by island folk tradition to be a location where Pythagoras once lived and taught in the 6th century BC.[1][2][3]

The cave is at an elevation of about 300 meters above sea level, west of the village of Marathokampos.[1] It is said that Pythagoras retreated to the cave from the city to escape the anger of the island's tyrant Polycrates. He is reputed to have both lived and taught his students there. A spring at the site is also said to have provided him with drinking water.[2][3][4] The knowledge that Pythagoras lived on the island in some cave comes from antiquity and is known from Iamblichus's work "De Vita Pythagorica (On the Pythagorean Life)".[2][5] However, it is impossible to confirm whether this is indeed the same cave.

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