The Secret History of Pythagoras

The Secret History of Pythagoras with the subtitle – Translated from the original copy lately found a Otranto in Italy claims to tell the true story about Pythagoras life. This book was written/translated by Samuel Croxall and printed in England in 1751, but you will have no problem reading it, just remember that “s” inside and in the beginning of word looks like “f”. From the intro:

The Translation of this venerable Piece of Antiquity is undertook upon a double Score; being designed as well to entertain the Curiosity of the Learned, as to supply the Defects of the Ignorant.

Download The Secret History of Pythagoras here (70 pages/8.4Mb):

  The Secret History of Pythagoras

Facts about Pythagoras

1. Pythagoras was not only a mathematician, but also a philosopher, scientist, and religious leader. He is considered one of the founders of mathematics, but also made important contributions to the fields of music, astronomy, and ethics.
2. Pythagoras is best known for his theorem that states that in a right-angled triangle, the square of the length of the hypotenuse (the side opposite the right angle) is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides.
3. Pythagoras was the leader of a secret society known as the Pythagoreans, which was a group of scholars and thinkers who studied mathematics, science, and philosophy.
4. Pythagoras believed in the doctrine of metempsychosis, which is the belief that the soul can be reborn in a different body after death.
5. Pythagoras was a vegetarian and believed in the sanctity of all life. He encouraged his followers to refrain from eating meat and other animal products.
6. Pythagoras believed that the universe was made up of mathematical relationships, and that numbers were the key to understanding the cosmos.
7. He is considered the first pure mathematician and is known for his discovery of the incommensurable ratios and the mathematical foundations of music.
8. Pythagoras was one of the first people to assign a numerical value to the concept of “pi”
9. Pythagoras believed that the earth was a sphere and that it rotated on its axis, and also that the planets and stars were also spheres.
10. Some of his followers believed that he had supernatural powers and that he could predict the future and perform miracles.

It’s important to note that some of the facts above are not entirely historically accurate. Pythagoras is considered one of the most enigmatic figures in history and much of the information known about him is based on legends and myths.