Hippocrates

460 BCE – 370 BCE(lived 90 years)

Hippocrates of Kos stands as the emblem of classical Greek medicine, whose name anchors the Hippocratic Corpus and its ethic to treat by observation, regimen, and reason. His school rejected divine explanations for disease in works like On the Sacred Disease and sought causes in environment and bodies. During the Athenian plague, physicians—Hippocratic or otherwise—could not halt the epidemic, and many died while tending patients. Yet the Hippocratic commitment to careful case notes, prognosis, and natural causation gave later generations the tools to describe, compare, and learn from catastrophe—even when, in 430–426 BCE, medicine and religion alike failed.

Biography

Born on the island of Kos around 460 BCE, Hippocrates was likely trained within an Asclepiad family tradition that blended temple practice with emerging empirical methods. He traveled widely—across the Aegean and mainland Greece—treating patients and teaching. The writings associated with his circle, conventionally gathered as the Hippocratic Corpus, range from practical manuals (Prognostic, Regimen in Acute Diseases) to theoretical works (On Airs, Waters, Places). They are united by a central conviction: illness has natural causes and yields to rational inquiry, careful observation, and disciplined care rather than to incantation or blame.

Key figure in Athenian Plague

Hippocrates's Timeline

Key events involving Hippocrates in chronological order

-430

Medicine and Religion Fail to Stop the Plague

In 430 BCE, physicians proved powerless and died in high numbers, while prayers and oracles offered no relief. At the Asclepieion below the Acropolis and temples across Athens, hope fell silent under coughing and ash. Authority faltered when cures failed.

cultural

View Event Details

-430

Caregivers and Physicians Suffer Disproportionate Mortality

In 430 BCE, those who tended the sick—especially physicians—died at high rates. Thucydides notes their disproportionate losses, a grim badge of proximity. The city lost knowledge alongside lives.

cultural

View Event Details

-430

Temples and Sacred Spaces Overwhelmed by Corpses

In 430 BCE, families brought the sick to temples, which soon filled with the dead. Thucydides writes that sacred places “were full of corpses.” The Acropolis watched ritual turn to storage under black smoke.

cultural

View Event Details

Total Events

-430

First Event

-430

Last Event

Ask About Hippocrates

Have questions about Hippocrates's life and role in Athenian Plague? Get AI-powered insights based on their biography and involvement.