Brontino di Metaponto, il filosofo lucano attratto dal mistero

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Dario Melissano 20 February 2025

The name of Brontino appears in numerous writings of ancient authors such as Diogenes Laertius, Iamblichus, Clement of Alexandria, Syrianus, Suidas and Alexander of Aphrodisias, and more recently in the book “The Message of Pythagoras” by V. Capparelli and in the paragraph “Brontino Pitagorico” written by the Spaniard Guillermo Garcia M. This figure, shrouded in mystery, is associated with a tradition of mystical poems, attributed to him under the pseudonym of Orpheus. Epigenes, another philosopher, attributes to him two Orphic works entitled “Ta Physika” and “On Nature”.

Brontino, following the example of his teacher Pythagoras, never separated the study of natural sciences from moral and religious questions, emphasizing an integrated approach to knowledge. His figure is surrounded by uncertainties, and it is hypothesized that he may have been married to Pythagoras' daughter or even to Teano, Pythagoras' wife, once she was widowed in Metapontum. In this context, there is also the possibility that Brontino and Teano continued to direct the Pythagorean school together.

Brontino is credited with the discovery of a “philosophical powder,” which was most likely a type of medicine, since he was also known as a physician. However, there are some apparent contradictions in the citations of various classical scholars, which may arise from confusion due to homonyms. A further hypothesis is that there were two women named Theano: one wife of Pythagoras and the other of Brontino. Iamblichus mentions both, while Diogenes Laertius reports that Theano was the wife of Pythagoras and the daughter of Brontino, who was described as an aristocratic follower of Orphism.

The citations relating to this philosophical figure are many and varied. Iamblichus, for example, mentions Brontinus among other Pythagorean philosophers of Metapontum, such as Parmiscus and Orestadas. Furthermore, he reports an episode in which the women of Croton turn to Theano, Brontinus' wife, to convince Pythagoras to urge their husbands to practice continence. Diogenes Laertius, for his part, refers to Pythagoras as married to Theano, Brontinus' daughter, adding that he also had a daughter named Damo, mentioned by Lysis in his correspondence with Hippasus.

Iamblichus, in his “Life of Pythagoras”, lists numerous other Pythagorean philosophers from Metapontum, including names such as Aeneas, Chilas, Melesias and many others, demonstrating the richness and variety of Pythagorean thought that flourished in that period.

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Brontino of Metaponto, the Lucanian philosopher attracted by mystery

Written by Dario Melissano

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