Yannis Fikas, Founder and President of the Academy of Farsala- About Zeno of Citium (334

Zeno was born in Citium in Cyprus. He was the son of a wealthy merchant named Mnaseas who used to travel to Athens and was the one to put him in contact with the Socratic philosophy. Zeno himself went to Athens to trade Tyrian purple (porpura) but was shipwrecked and since then he devoted himself to the study of philosophy.

In Athens he got in contact with the Cynic philosopher Crates and became his pupil without remaining though in his school as he wasn’t particularly attracted to Cynic philosophy. He also studied under the philosophers of the Megarian school, Stilpo and Diodorus Cronus, from whom he learnt the dialectical method. He was also associated with the philosophers of the Academy, Xenocrates and Polemo, and showed a great interest in the philosophy of Heraclitus. Little by little, he began teaching in the Stoa Poikile (Painted Porch) named poikile (painted), after the paintings by Polygnotos. Zeno attached great importance to the cultivation of the art of Rhetoric because he believed that the philosopher should assert himself using his presence, modesty, voice and speech so as to attract the attention of his listeners.

His disciples were named Stoics after the name of the Stoa where they congregated. Being humble and restrained as well as prudent and self-sufficient, Zeno put his theory about human virtue into practice. The Athenians honored him for his spiritual contribution and virtue during his lifetime with a voting by the Assembly of People (Ekklesia of Demos), awarded him a golden laurel and decided to build his tomb with public expenditure in Kerameikos.

Zeno lived in a period in which the ancient city as a political entity had lost its functional status and his philosophy aspired to ensure a life plan. The School developed by attracting a large number of disciples and its successor, head of the School, was Cleanthis and later Chrysippus.