Authenticating the Fragments and Letters

Abstract

Thomas Taylor published his translations of the fragments of Phintys and Perictione1 (making no distinction between Perictione I and Perictione II), but modern philosophers usually do not include the works of the Pythagorean women in their histories of philosophy. Classicists and philologists have studied many of these materials. Established texts of the fragments and letters can be found in classical and philological literature. Some of the Pythagorean women are named in Diogenes Laertius' list of philosophers, and are mentioned by Atheneus and the Suda. The texts themselves were preserved by Stobaeus, Iamblichus and Clement of Alexandria. Theodoret appends some of the letters to his Jamblichus, De Vita Pythagoras. Modern doxographers including Bury, Didot, Diels, Hedengrahn, Hercher, Orelli, Poestion, Thesleff and Wolf have established the texts of the fragments and letters.