Bolos de Mendès

Bolos is a Greek writer of IIIe front S. JC originating in Mendès in Egypt. It is one of most known and perhaps the first representative of a popular current of thought which consisted with to mix elements of the scientific and philosophical thought Greek and knowledge resulting from the magic tradition of the East. Its scientific reflection especially rested on Démocrite (and in second place on Théophraste) this is why one names it sometimes Bolos the démocritéen . Moreover, several of its works circulated very quickly under the name of Démocrite without one being able to say if falsification were deliberated. It is thus also qualified pseudo-Démocrite .

He sought to find the forces which, at the same time as the similar or opposite elements (Sympathie and Antipathie), acted on organic or inorganic nature. He wanted to employ them to improve the physical and moral wellbeing of the men. Bolos also belongs to the current of the Paradoxographie, kind literary which treats abnormal or unexplained phenomena. There remain only fragments of its works: Χειροόκμητα / Cheirokmeta and Φνσικά δυναμεά / Physika will dynamera on the average natural ones of care and the care of the spirit; Θαυμάσια / Thaumasia on the wonders and also famous a treated on agriculture allotted to Démocrite for the posterior authors.

The Souda mentions two Bolos, one philosophizes and disciple of Démocrite, the other originating one in Mendes and pythagorician. It is allowed nowadays that it is about a single Bolos.

Sources

Bolos von Mendes in Lexikon DER antiker Autoren , (1972) of P. Kroh.
Bolo in Dizionario beyond civilità classica , 2éd. (2001) of F.Ferrari, M.Mantuzzi, M.C. Martinelli, M.S. Mirto.
(beta, 481; beta, 482)

Fragments

F.Jacoby, Die Splits up DER grieschischen Historiker (263)
H.Diels, Die Fragmente der Vorsokratiker (68-B300)

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