3-095-152 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Democritus and Protagoras, 1663. The Greek philosopher Protagoras (c490 BCE-c420 BCE) originally made his living as a porter, but one day he was seen by the philosopher Democritus carrying a load of small pieces of wood he had tied with a short cord. Democritus realised that Protagoras had tied the load together with such perfect geometric accuracy that he must be a mathematical prodigy. Democritus promptly took him into his own household and taught him philosophy.