GRICE E PITEA

 

Speranza, J. L. (n. d.). ‘Grice e Pitea: la ragione conversazionale della filosofia ligure, Roma, e la filosofia italiana (Roma). Filosofo italiano. He settles in Marseglia, and achieves fame as a philosopher. Pitea. Keywords: longitudinal unity, Grice e Pitea. Pitea: la ragione conversazionale della filosofia ligure, Roma, e la filosofia italiana (Roma). Filosofo italiano. He settles in Marseglia, and achieves fame as a philosopher. Pitea. Keywords: longitudinal unity. Gricevs: Salvē, Pitea! Audivi te in Marseglia clarum esse philosophum. Dic mihi, quid tibi in philosophia Ligure maxime placet? Pitea: Salvē, Gricevs! Mihi placet unitas longitudinalis: philosophia Ligure rerum connectiones a mari ad montes semper quaerit. Gricevs: Unitās longitudinalis, pulchra sententia! Putasne haec ratio conversationalis etiam in philosophia Italiana valere? Pitea: Certe, Gricevs! In Italia, omnes traditiones philosophicae inter se colloquuntur, sicut Ligures cum Romanis olim fecerunt. This Pitea 'settles' in Marseille. Could we assume he was Italy-born? No, it would not be safe to assume he was Italy-born. If this Pitea is really Pytheas of Massalia, the evidence points the other way: he is described as a Greek geographer, explorer, and astronomer from the Greek colony of Massalia, that is, modern Marseille. In other words, he is not someone who “settled” in Marseille from Italy; rather, Marseille is the city with which he is normally identified from the start. [en.wikipedia.org], [britannica.com] So the safest historical description is: Greek, or more precisely Massaliote Greek, from Massalia, not Italy-born. [en.wikipedia.org], [lccn.loc.gov] If Speranza wants to keep him under an “Italian philosophy” heading, that would be a very loose cultural or geographical stretch, not something supported by birthplace or ethnicity. Massalia was a Greek colony in Gaul, not in Italy. [greekreporter.com], [britannica.com] So the short answer is: No. If this is Pytheas of Massalia, you should assume Marseille/Massalia as his own city, and Greek colonial identity, not Italian birth. [en.wikipedia.org], [britannica.com]