Preceden

Aristotle Timeline

(384 BCE – 322 BCE)

Aristotle (384–322 BCE) was an ancient Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and tutor of Alexander the Great. He founded the Lyceum in Athens and made foundational contributions to logic, ethics, metaphysics, biology, politics, and poetics, shaping Western intellectual tradition for over two millennia. Less

Go to: Timeline | Event List | Key Facts | Directory

Logic and Science

Description of the hectocotyl arm of cephalopods

350 BC

Aristotle described the hectocotyl arm of cephalopods, used in sexual reproduction. His account was widely disbelieved by later naturalists until it was confirmed in the 19th century.

Image source: Hectocotylus

Description of the hectocotyl arm of cephalopods

Aristotle credited with earliest systematic study of logic

335 BC

With the Prior Analytics, Aristotle is credited with the earliest systematic study of logic, establishing a conception of the discipline that would dominate Western thought for millennia.

Image source: Prior Analytics

Aristotle credited with earliest systematic study of logic

Aristotelian logic dominates Western logic

335 BC

Aristotle's conception of logic, laid out in works such as the Prior Analytics, remained the dominant form of Western logic until advances in mathematical logic in the 19th century.

Image source: History of logic

Aristotelian logic dominates Western logic

Influence on logic continues into the 19th century

1800 - 1899

Aristotle's influence on the field of logic continued well into the 19th century, when new developments in mathematical logic finally began to supersede his system.

Hectocotyl arm description confirmed after centuries of disbelief

1850 - 1899

Aristotle's description of the hectocotyl arm of cephalopods had been widely disbelieved for centuries, but it was vindicated by scientific observation in the 19th century.

George Boole accepts Aristotle's logic but goes beyond it

1854

In his 1854 book The Laws of Thought, the English mathematician George Boole fully accepted Aristotle's logic but decided 'to go under, over, and beyond' it with his system of algebraic logic.

Image source: George Boole

George Boole accepts Aristotle's logic but goes beyond it

Ancient Legacy

Andronicus of Rhodes compiles Aristotle's treatises

60 BC - 1 BC

All surviving works of Aristotle transmitted through medieval manuscripts are the technical philosophical treatises from within his school, compiled in the 1st century BC by Andronicus of Rhodes out of smaller, separate works into the larger cohesive works known today.

Peripatetic commentary tradition begins with Boethus of Sidon

30 BC

The peripatetic commentary tradition on Aristotle's works began with Boethus of Sidon in the 1st century BC, launching a long tradition of philosophical engagement with his texts.

Alexander of Aphrodisias appointed to Imperial chair of Aristotelian philosophy

200

The peripatetic commentary tradition reached its peak at the end of the 2nd century AD with Alexander of Aphrodisias, who was appointed to the official Imperial chair of Aristotelian philosophy established by Marcus Aurelius; many of his commentaries still survive.

Image source: Alexander of Aphrodisias

Alexander of Aphrodisias appointed to Imperial chair of Aristotelian philosophy

Medieval Reception

Philoponus comments extensively on Aristotle

500 - 599

Philoponus, a student of Ammonius, was one of the first Byzantine Christians to comment extensively on Aristotle, bringing Christian perspectives to Aristotelian philosophy.

Image source: John Philoponus

Philoponus comments extensively on Aristotle

Boethius translates the Organon into Latin

510

Boethius made a Latin translation of Aristotle's Organon, which served for centuries as virtually the only access to Aristotle's thought in the early medieval Latin West.

Image source: Organon

Boethius translates the Organon into Latin

Elias and David comment on Aristotle as students of Olympiodorus

570 - 599

Elias and David, students of Olympiodorus, were among the first Byzantine Christians to comment extensively on Aristotle's works, continuing the Alexandrian commentary tradition.

Aristotle practically unknown in the early medieval Latin West

600 - 1100

With the loss of the study of ancient Greek in the early medieval Latin West, Aristotle was practically unknown there from about AD 600 to about 1100, except through the Latin translation of the Organon made by Boethius.

Image source: Aristotelianism

Aristotle practically unknown in the early medieval Latin West

Stephen of Alexandria brings study of Plato and Aristotle to Constantinople

600 - 632

In the early seventh century, Stephen of Alexandria brought the study of Plato and Aristotle from Alexandria to Constantinople, extending Byzantine engagement with ancient philosophy.

Formal commentary reappears with Eustratius and Michael of Ephesus

1100 - 1160

After a hiatus of several centuries, formal commentary on Aristotle by Eustratius and Michael of Ephesus reappeared in the late eleventh and early twelfth centuries.

Anna Comnena sponsors renewed Aristotelian commentary

1100 - 1150

The revival of formal Aristotelian commentary by Eustratius and Michael of Ephesus in the late eleventh and early twelfth centuries was apparently sponsored by Anna Comnena.

Image source: Anna Komnene

Anna Comnena sponsors renewed Aristotelian commentary

Interest in Aristotle revives in twelfth-century Latin Christendom

1120 - 1199

In the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, interest in Aristotle revived and Latin Christians had translations of his works made, transforming medieval European philosophy.

James of Venice translates Aristotle from the original Greek

1130 - 1199

Among the translators of the twelfth-century revival was James of Venice, who translated Aristotle's works from the original Greek into Latin.

Gerard of Cremona translates Aristotle from Arabic versions

1140 - 1187

As part of the twelfth-century translation movement, Gerard of Cremona produced Latin translations of Aristotle's works from Arabic translations, helping reintroduce Aristotelian thought to the West.

Image source: Gerard of Cremona

Gerard of Cremona translates Aristotle from Arabic versions

William of Moerbeke makes new Latin translations from the Greek

1260 - 1286

In the thirteenth century, William of Moerbeke translated Aristotle's works directly from the original Greek, providing Latin Christians with more accurate access to his texts.

Modern Influence

Artists depict Aristotle over the centuries

1500 - 1899

Aristotle has been depicted by major artists including Lucas Cranach the Elder, Justus van Gent, Raphael, Paolo Veronese, Jusepe de Ribera, Rembrandt, and Francesco Hayez over the centuries.

Image source: Poetics (Aristotle)

Artists depict Aristotle over the centuries

Raphael depicts Aristotle in the School of Athens

1511

Raphael was among the major artists who depicted Aristotle, most famously alongside Plato in the School of Athens, cementing his image in Renaissance art.

Image source: The School of Athens

Raphael depicts Aristotle in the School of Athens

Rembrandt paints Aristotle with the bust of Homer

1653

Rembrandt was among the major artists across the centuries to depict Aristotle, contributing to the philosopher's enduring presence in European art.

Image source: Aristotle with a Bust of Homer

Rembrandt paints Aristotle with the bust of Homer

Darwin praises Linnaeus, Cuvier, and old Aristotle

1882

In an 1882 letter, Darwin wrote that 'Linnaeus and Cuvier have been my two gods, though in very different ways, but they were mere schoolboys to old Aristotle,' expressing deep admiration for Aristotle's biological work.

Image source: Charles Darwin

Darwin praises Linnaeus, Cuvier, and old Aristotle

20th-century scholarship holds Aristotle misinterpreted Plato

1900 - 1999

Twentieth-century scholarship held that, in certain passages, Aristotle had misinterpreted Plato's teachings, revising earlier assessments of their philosophical relationship.

Image source: Aristotle

20th-century scholarship holds Aristotle misinterpreted Plato

Kukkonen portrays Aristotle wrestling with the Greek tradition

1900 - 1999

Scholar Taneli Kukkonen writes that 'in the best 20th-century scholarship Aristotle comes alive as a thinker wrestling with the full weight of the Greek philosophical tradition,' citing evidence of an exceptionally forceful mind.

Barnes on Aristotle's intellectual afterlife

1900 - 1999

The scholar Jonathan Barnes wrote that 'an account of Aristotle's intellectual afterlife would be little less than a history of European thought,' underscoring his enduring significance.

Peter Medawar criticizes Aristotle's biological writings

1985

In 1985, the biologist Peter Medawar stated in 'pure seventeenth century' tones that Aristotle had assembled 'a strange and generally speaking rather tiresome farrago of hearsay, imperfect observation, wishful thinking and credulity amounting to downright gullibility.'

Image source: Peter Medawar

Peter Medawar criticizes Aristotle's biological writings

Asteroid (6123) Aristoteles named for Aristotle

1988

The asteroid (6123) Aristoteles in the main asteroid belt bears the classical form of Aristotle's name, reflecting his lasting fame more than two millennia after his death.

Image source: Aristotle

Asteroid (6123) Aristoteles named for Aristotle

Key Facts

  1. Aristotle was born in 384 BCE in Stagira, a Greek colony in northern Greece, and died in 322 BCE in Chalcis.
  2. He studied at Plato's Academy in Athens for around 20 years before founding his own school, the Lyceum, in 335 BCE.
  3. Aristotle tutored the young Alexander the Great, who later conquered much of the known world.
  4. He is often called the father of logic and developed the syllogism as a core tool of deductive reasoning.
  5. His works, including Nicomachean Ethics, Politics, and Poetics, profoundly influenced medieval philosophy, science, and Islamic scholarship.

Source

This Aristotle timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

We work hard to keep these timelines accurate, but mistakes do get through. If you spot one, email us at [email protected] and we'll fix it for future visitors.

Want a timeline like this one?

Generate yours with AI or build it from scratch, for free.

Try It for Free