Hippasos 15

vol. VIII p.1687-1688

15) Ἵππασος

Also written as Hippalos or mixed with Hipparchos nr. 14 [corrected from Hipparchos nr. 4], <30> from Metapontum (Diog. Lart. VIII 84 [Diels Vorsokr. c. 8 nr. 1]), or Crotone (Iambl. v. Pyth. 81), or Sybaris (Iambl. v. Pyth. 267), an older Pythagorean whom Aristotle met. I 984 a 7 compares with Heraclitus, because he suggested that fire was the substance that made up the world. Suidas s. Ἡράκλειτος (1 a Diels) has him as one of his followers for this reason, and although Demetrios Magnes (in Diog. loc. cit.) claims that he didn’t leave behind any written works, according to others he was the author of the μυστικὸς λόγος, <40> which was otherwise attributed to Pythagoras, to diminish the master (Diog. Laert. VIII 7 [3 D.]). From his clear connection to Pythagoreanism, tradition has been able to conclude that alongside the tighter circle of the mathematicians, he founded the broader field of acousmatics (Iambl. v. Pyth. 81), or he (or Hipparchos?) revealed the secret teachings of Pythagoras, and was punished for his crime by being drowned in the sea (Clem. Alex. strom. V 58 p. 680 P. [4. D.]). <50>

We learn the following about his teachings: according to him, fire is the basis of space, which has a boundary and is constantly moving; everything is made up of fire at particular points of time, and then disintegrates once again (Arist. loc. cit. Simplic. phys. 23, 33. Diog. loc. cit. Aët. I 55 [Doxogr. 292]). Even the soul is fire-like in its nature (Aët. IV 3, 4 [Doxogr. 388]. Tertull. de an. 5). <60>

Later tradition attributes the invention of the harmonic mean to him (alongside the arithmetic and geometric means, which were known previously), as well as the invention of metal discs of the same diameter but different thicknesses which sound harmonically, or similar vessels filled with different amounts of water which also sound harmonically (Schol. Plat. Phaedon. 108 D. Theo Smyrn. 59, 4 Hiller. Iambl. in Nicom. 100, 19 Pist.). cf. Diels Vorsokr. c. 8. Zeller I³ 492. Gomperz Griech. Denker I 118. 299. <page break 1687/1688>

[E. Wellman.]