Typescript (photocopy). / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

The discovery of Philodemus' library was a considerable contribution to our knowledge of the Epicurean philosophy. It was excavated two centuries ago at Herculaneum, where the Epicureans settled their school in the first century B.C. The library contains a large number of papyri, among which are works of Philodemus; these documents on religion, logic, and morality, as expounded by the Epicureans. Until the present, such aspects of that singular philosophy were known only from a few testimonia of ancient critics, namely, Diogenes Laertius, Sextus Empiricus, and Cicero. At present, the discovery of the treatises of Philodemus allows us to comprehend thoroughly not only the Epicurean doctrines, but also their intentions and aims. The works of Philodemus were published for the first time at the beginning of the 20th century. Since that time they have been sadly neglected by scholars, with the exception of some Ph.D. dissertations which treat of some parts of Philodemus' philosophical and poetical works. A large part of his works, however, still remains unknown to most classicists. Recently, a new interest in the Philodemian corpus has arisen among classical philologists. I became acquainted with Philodemus' philosophical treatises during the course which I took last winter with Professor H. Jones, in which we studied the De rerum Natura of Lucretius. An assignment, Philodemus as a philosopher and poet, stimulated me to engage in a study of his moral treatises, and more generally of the Epicurean philosophy. In this thesis I intend to present Philodemus' views on the role of frankness in the life of the Epicurean; his observations concerning the life of practicality, resourcefulness, and prudent household management; and his thoughts on the nature of death. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)