Cleantos

Cleantos was an ancient Greek Stoic philosopher who lived from approximately 330 to 230 BCE. He was born in Assos, a city in the Troad region of Asia Minor. He is known primarily as the successor to Zeno of Citium, the founder of Stoicism, as the head of the Stoic school in Athens. Cleantos studied under Zeno and inherited leadership of the school upon Zeno's death around 262 BCE. He led the Stoic school for about 30 years, during which time he further developed and systematized Zeno's teachings.

His most famous work is the Hymn to Zeus, a poetic address that is the only surviving complete work from the early Stoic period. This hymn eloquently expresses core Stoic ideas about the divine nature of the universe, its rational order (logos), and humanity's place within it. Cleantos emphasized the importance of virtue and living in accordance with nature, aligning one's will with the will of Zeus and the cosmic order. He also wrote other works, including treatises on ethics and physics, though these are mostly known through fragments and secondary sources.

Cleantos's philosophy stressed the interconnectedness of all things and the rational governance of the cosmos. He taught that true happiness comes from living virtuously and accepting what fate brings. His leadership was crucial in establishing Stoicism as a major philosophical movement in the Hellenistic world. He taught prominent figures, including Chrysippus, who would become his successor and is often credited with completing the foundational work of Stoic doctrine. Cleantos is remembered as a devoted follower and important developer of Zeno's original Stoic principles.