Abderites
Encyclopedia
Abderites or the School of Abdera was a Pre-Socratic school of thought, founded in Abdera, Thrace
around 440 to 430 BC. Its proponents, Leucippus
and Democritus
, were the earliest atomists
.
Leucippus is believed to be the founder, and was born at either Abdera or Miletus
. Democritus, his student, was native to Abdera.
Abdera, Thrace
Abdera was a city-state on the coast of Thrace 17 km east-northeast of the mouth of the Nestos, and almost opposite Thasos. The site now lies in the Xanthi peripheral unit of modern Greece. The municipality of Abdera, or Ávdira , has 18,573 inhabitants...
around 440 to 430 BC. Its proponents, Leucippus
Leucippus
Leucippus or Leukippos was one of the earliest Greeks to develop the theory of atomism — the idea that everything is composed entirely of various imperishable, indivisible elements called atoms — which was elaborated in greater detail by his pupil and successor, Democritus...
and Democritus
Democritus
Democritus was an Ancient Greek philosopher born in Abdera, Thrace, Greece. He was an influential pre-Socratic philosopher and pupil of Leucippus, who formulated an atomic theory for the cosmos....
, were the earliest atomists
Atomism
Atomism is a natural philosophy that developed in several ancient traditions. The atomists theorized that the natural world consists of two fundamental parts: indivisible atoms and empty void.According to Aristotle, atoms are indestructible and immutable and there are an infinite variety of shapes...
.
Leucippus is believed to be the founder, and was born at either Abdera or Miletus
Miletus
Miletus was an ancient Greek city on the western coast of Anatolia , near the mouth of the Maeander River in ancient Caria...
. Democritus, his student, was native to Abdera.