Menedēmus
（
Μενέδημος). A Greek philosopher, a native of Eretria.
Though of noble birth, he was poor, and worked for a livelihood either as a builder or as a
tent-maker. According to one story, he seized the opportunity afforded by his being sent on
some military service to Megara to hear Plato, and abandoned the army to addict himself to
philosophy; but it may be questioned whether he was old enough to have heard Plato before the
death of the latter. According to another story, he and his friend Asclepiades got their
livelihood as millers, working during the night that they might have leisure for philosophy in
the day (Athen. p. 168). The two friends afterwards became disciples of Stilpo at Megara. From
Megara they went to Elis, and placed themselves under the instruction of some disciples of
Phaedo. On his return to Eretria Menedemus established a school of philosophy, which was
called the Eretrian. He did not, however, confine himself to philosophical pursuits, but took
an active part in the political affairs of his native city, and came to be the leading man in
the State. He went on various embassies to Lysimachus, Demetrius, and others; but being
suspected of the treacherous intention of betraying Eretria into the power of Antigonus, he
quitted his native city secretly, and took refuge with Antigonus in Asia. Here he starved
himself to death in the seventy-fourth year of his age, probably about B.C. 277. Of the
philosophy of Menedemus little is known, except that it closely resembled that of the Megarian
School, on which see
Euclides, p. 630.
