Biography.guide
Home › People › Philosopher › Democrates
Portrait of Democrates

Democrates

Ancient Greek Pythagorean philosopher

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Democrates

Democrates was a philosopher.

Democrates (; ) was a Pythagorean philosopher about whom little is known. Apollonius of Tyana authored at least one letter, his epistle no. 96, to a Democrates, but it is unclear whether this philosopher were the addressee.

A collection of moral maxims called the Golden Sentences (, Gnomai chrysai) has come down to us under his name. However, many scholars argue that these maxims all originate from an original collection of sayings of Democritus and brand Democrates a misnomer, though others believe that there was a little-known Democrates whose name became confused with Democritus. Thirty of the Golden Sayings are also found in Stobaeus, there as in other sources attributed to Democritus,

The maxims are written in the Ionic dialect, from which some scholars have inferred that they were written at a very early period. Others think it more probable that they are the production of the age of Julius Caesar. But nothing can be said with certainty, for want of both external and internal evidence.

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Occupation

Frequently asked questions

Who was Democrates?

ancient Greek Pythagorean philosopher

What was Democrates's occupation?

Democrates was a philosopher.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Democrates

· Wikidata: Q3443396

· DBpedia: Democrates

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Democrates. https://biography.guide/democrates/

MLA: "Democrates." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/democrates/.

Chicago: "Democrates." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/democrates/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:25 UTC