Bias of Priene

Timeline

1. -600Priene · PrieneBias, son of Teutames, was known for defending the wronged without fee. As an envoy of Priene he litigated with Samos over the territory of Batineitis, arguing that it had first been seized by the Cimmerians and therefore belonged to Priene; the mediation result favored Samos. This is the most verifiable political activity of his life. Herodotus also records reports that he advised the Ionians to migrate en masse to Sardinia and dissuaded Croesus from building a navy.
2. -600Priene · PrieneLists by Plato, Diogenes Laertius, and others all include Bias among the Seven Sages. Later legends include his refusal of the tripod offered to the 'wisest,' the ransoming of a captured Messenian girl, and his tricking of the Lydian king Alyattes into abandoning a siege. The tradition of maxims emphasizes ethics such as 'most men are wicked,' reverence for the gods, and observance of the law. He is said to have died while appearing in court in his old age, and was commemorated in his hometown.