The wise man and the king

the relationship between the philosopher Plotinus and the emperor Gallienus (253-268) in Porphyry's Vita Plotini

Abstract

Porphyry of Tyre, a pupil and admirer of the Neoplatonic philosopher Plotinus, put in writing, at the end of the 3rd century, a statement that has caused a stir among scholars of history, philosophy and other related sciences: "Emperor Gallienus and his wife, Salonina, highly honoured and venerated Plotinus" (Porph. Vit. Plot. 12). What does this sentence mean? Were Gallienus and Plotinus close collaborators? What traces are there of such a relationship? In this article we will explain the indications and proofs of such a relationship and the particular vision of the author, helped also by the data provided by other sources, such as plastic art, numismatics or epigraphy. We will also outline the problem established by the foundation of Platonopolis, the city of philosophers, in Campania in the mid-3rd century.