![Epicurus, bronze bust from a Greek original, &circa; 280–270 &BC;; in the Museo Archeologico &elipsis; [Credit: Courtesy of the Soprintendenza alle Antichita della Campania, Naples]](http://images.bookrags.com/images/eb/24557.gif)
Epicurus, bronze bust from a Greek original, &circa; 280–270 &BC;; in the Museo Archeologico &elipsis; [Credit: Courtesy of the Soprintendenza alle Antichita della Campania, Naples](born 341, Samos, Greece—died 270 &BC;, Athens) Greek philosopher. He was author of an ethical philosophy of simple pleasure, friendship, and retirement (&see;
Epicureanism) and a metaphysics based on
atomism. His school in Athens, the Garden, competed with the Academy of
Plato and the Lyceum of
Aristotle.
Unlike both of these schools, it admitted women, and even one of Epicurus's slaves. It taught the avoidance of political activity and of public life. Notwithstanding the usual connotations of the term epicurean today, life at the school was simple. He was a widely appealing figure in Rome during the 1st century &BC;; the poet-philosopher Lucretius based his work on Epicurus's thought. His atomism was revived in the 17th century by Pierre Gassendi (1592–1655).
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