1. A brief history of Pythagoras And the Pythagoreans
Pythagorean Theorem
A brief history of Pythagoras
And the Pythagoreans

2. Pythagoras of Samos

3. Pythagoras of Samos Lived from 560 – 480 BC
Born in Samos (an island off the east coast of Greece)
Went to Miletus
Then went to Egypt

4. Life with the Persians
While in Egypt, the Egyptians were conquered by the King Cambyses and the Persians.
Pythagoras went back to Babylon (Persia) with King Cambyses and spent 7 years there.
There he became acquainted with Eastern Mysticism

5. Iamblichus writes that Pythagoras
... was transported by the followers of Cambyses as a prisoner of war. Whilst he was there he gladly associated with the Magoi ... and was instructed in their sacred rites and learnt about a very mystical worship of the gods. He also reached the acme of perfection in arithmetic and music and the other mathematical sciences taught by the Babylonians...

6. Eastern Mysticism
A broad term summarizing mystic traditions of the Middle East, India and the Far East, including mystic elements in Gnosticism, Sufism, Yoga, Buddhism, and Taoism
Believing in ideas such as reincarnation, one or many gods, and meditation.

7. Upon Leaving Persia
Forced to leave Persia because of ideas of liberty and freedom
Went to Croton (Southern Italy)
Founded a school and taught Mathematics.
The most talented pupils were initiated into the Pythagorean Order.

8. Pythagorean Order The Pythagorean Order was a secret brotherhood.
Ideas of the Pythagorean Order stemmed from Pythagoras’ experience with Eastern Mysticism
Strict code of silence for those initiated into the Pythagorean Order

9. Pythagorean Order Beliefs
Transmigration of Souls
They did not
Eat Meat
Wear Wool
Eat Beans
Have any personal possessions

10. Pythagorean Order Beliefs
That at its deepest level, reality is mathematical in nature
That philosophy can be used for spiritual purification
That the soul can rise to union with the divine
That certain symbols have a mystical significance
That all brothers of the order should observe strict loyalty and secrecy

11. Pythagorean Order
Not only did they study Mathematics, they studied Music and Astronomy
Studied mathematical relationship of sounds and broke music into octaves
Recognized the Moon was inclined to the equator of the Earth and he was one of the first to realize that Venus as an evening star was the same planet as Venus as a morning star.

12. Other Discoveries
Sum of the interior angles of any triangle add up to two right angles (180 degrees)
The discovery of irrationals. This is certainly attributed to the Pythagoreans but it does seem unlikely to have been due to Pythagoras himself. This went against Pythagoras's philosophy the all things are numbers, since by a number he meant the ratio of two whole numbers. However, because of his belief that all things are numbers it would be a natural task to try to prove that the hypotenuse of an isosceles right angled triangle had a length corresponding to a number.

13. Google Earth
Using Google Earth, Find and “Add Placemark” to the three places Pythagoras lived.
Find the Statue of Pythagoras on the island of Samos, Italy
Find the ruins of the Hanging Gardens of Ancient Babylon
Find the city of Crotone, Italy
Using the ruler tool, “Add Placemark” to any three places in the world that are examples of the Pythagorean Theorem.
Make a tour using the six places you’ve bookmarked.