What was the Pythagorean community in Croton?

Pythagoras established the first Pythagorean community in the ancient Greek colony of Croton around 530 BC. This community functioned as both a philosophical school and a religious movement based on the teachings of Pythagoras. Eventually, political instability and a revolt led by a leading citizen named Cylon resulted in the community's destruction and the departure of the Pythagoreans from the area.

What we know

• Pythagoras established the first Pythagorean community in the ancient Greek colony of Croton, located in modern Calabria, Italy, circa 530 BC. [3]
• Early Pythagorean communities spread throughout Magna Graecia following the foundation of the original group in Croton. [3]
• Cylon of Croton led a revolt against the Pythagoreans around 509 BC, which included setting fire to a meeting house where the Pythagoreans were debating. [4]
• Following political instability and the rebellion in Magna Graecia, most Pythagorean philosophers had left the Italian peninsula by about 400 BC. [3]

Still open

• The exact date of Cylon's revolt against the Pythagoreans is uncertain, though it is probably placed around 509 BC.

Where to go next

• whoWho was Cylon of Croton?
• the bigger pictureWhat is Pythagoreanism?
• what caused itHow did political instability affect Magna Graecia?
• a case in pointWho was Alcmaeon of Croton?
• what followedHow did Plato inherit Pythagorean ideas?
• an unexpected connectionHow did ancient Greek medical writers connect to philosophy?Alcmaeon of Croton operated as an eminent natural philosopher and medical theorist in the same region where the Pythagorean community flourished.

Sources

• [1]list of pre-Socratic philosophers (Wikidata Q134470125) · CC0 1.0
• [2]List of pre-Socratic philosophers · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Pythagoreanism · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Cylon of Croton · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Alcmaeon of Croton · CC BY-SA 4.0