Empedocles was born in Acragas on the south coast of Sicily. The
name Acragas is Greek, while the Latin name for the town was
Agrigentum. Later the town was called Girgenti and more recently
it became known by its present name of Agrigento. It was one of
the most beautiful cities of the ancient world up to the time it
was destroyed by the Carthaginians in 406 BC. It was, in
Empedocles time, a rich city containing the finest Greek
culture. Some of the Pythagoreans had come there after being
attacked in their centre at Croton. Empedocles was born into a
rich aristocratic family. He travelled throughout the Greek
world participating fully in the extraordinary desire for
learning and understanding which gripped that part of the world.
He is described as follows by Sarton :- He was not only a
philosopher but a poet, a seer, a physicist, a social reformer,
a man of so much enthusiasm that he would easily be considered a
charlatan by some people, or become a legendary hero in the eyes
of others. There are many legen