Simplicius
A Peripatetic philosopher of the sixth century after Christ, and a native of Cilicia. When
Justinian in A.D. 529 closed the school of philosophy in which he taught at Athens, he and six
other philosophers emigrated to the court of the Persian king Chosroës. When he made
peace with Justinian in 533, and obtained from him leave for the philosophers to return
unmolested, Simplicius went to Alexandria, where he died in 549. We still possess some
excellent commentaries of his on several writings of Aristotle (
Categories, Physics, De
Caelo, De Anima), edited by Karsten
(1865), and on the
Enchiridion of Epictetus, edited by Enk
(Vienna, 1866). His
complete works are edited by Schweighäuser
(Leipzig, 1800).