Aristodemus of Cydathenaeum

Aristodemus of Cydathenaeum (Greek: Ἀριστόδημος Κυδαθηναιεύς Aristódēmos Kudathēnaieύs; fl. c. 5th century BCE) was an ancient Athenian follower of the philosopher Socrates. He is best remembered as a character and narrative source in Plato's Symposium, and is also preserved in Xenophon's Memorabilia and a fragment from Aristophanes.

The figure (top) from Anselm Feuerbach's The Banquet (After Plato) interpreted as a depiction of Aristodemus.[1][2]

Life

Aristodemus is described as a barefooted runt of low birth in Plato's Symposium,[3] while Xenophon refers to him as Aristodemus the dwarf ("Ἀριστόδημον τὸν μικρὸν Aristodemon ton mikron"). He was a fellow demesman of the comedian Aristophanes, with whom he appears in the Symposium. Although little is known of his life, his depiction as a member of an earlier generation of Socratic followers places his birth in the early-mid 5th century BCE,[4] a theory which is supported by his apparent inclusion in Aristophanes' comedy Banqueters[5] of 427. Scholars assume that his death preceded the end of the 5th century, since he was not present during Socrates' final days in 399 despite being a devoted student.[3][4][6]

Thought and depiction in literature

His own philosophy is equally obscure. It is best preserved through his depiction in Xenophon as an admirer of artists who neither prays nor sacrifices due to what he perceives as the gods' lack of need,[4][6] leading some commentators to accredit Aristodemus with a potential brand of Socratic proto-atheism.[7] R.D.C. Robbins states that Aristodemus both despised the gods and ridiculed those who worshiped them.[8]

Aristodemus' representation in Plato's Symposium has given rise to debate, as scholars interpret his character alternately as hubristic[9] and humble and pathetic.[10] Although the drinking party depicted in the Symposium involved each guest discoursing on the nature of Eros, Aristodemus' own speech was either passed over unreported or never given, perhaps due to his perceived insignificance.[4][11]

Generally believed by scholars to be the follower of Socrates,[12] the Aristodemus mentioned in the Banqueters is mocked for his sexual promiscuity.

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See also

References
  1. Heinrich Meier in Seth Benardete, Plato's Symposium, 1994.
  2. James Lesher, "Feuerbach's Das Gastmahl des Platon and Plato's Symposium" in P. Castillo, S. Knippschild, M. G. Morcillo, and C. Herreros, eds., International Conference: Imagines: The reception of antiquity in performing and visual arts (Logroño: Universidad de La Rioja, 2008), 479–490.
  3. Plato, Symposium, 173b
  4. Debra Nails, The People of Plato, Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing, 2002, pp. 52–53
  5. Aristophanes, Banqueters, fr. 242 (K 231)
  6. Xenophon, Memorabilia, 1.4.2–19
  7. Marie-Odile Goulet-Cazé, "Religion and the Early Cynics". The Cynics. Ed. R. B. Branham, M. Goulet-Cazé. Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1996, p. 54
  8. Xenophon, with Notes by R.D.C. Robbins (Librarian, Andover Theological Seminary) – Xenophon's Memorabilia of Socrates: With English Notes, Critical and Explanatory, the Prolegomena of Kühner, Wiggers' Life of Socrates, Etc. (c.f. CHAPTER IV – p.24) Harper & brothers, 1848 [Retrieved 27 March 2015]
  9. Leo Strauss, Plato's Symposium. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2001, p. 21
  10. Allan Bloom, "The Ladder of Love", in Seth Benardete, Plato's Symposium. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1993, p. 76
  11. Plato, Symposium, 180c
  12. Thomas L. Cooksey, Plato's Symposium: A Reader's Guide. New York: Continuum International Publishing Group, 2010, p. 34
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