Aristotle Biography

Archaic Greek philosopher Aristotle was born nigh

384 B.C.E. in a
small villa on the northern coast of Greece, Stagira. Not
much is known
about Aristotle's family. Aristotle's mother Phaestis is
believed to have
died when Aristotle was young. His father Nicomachus
was a court
physician to the Macedonian king Amynthas II. Aristotle's
father is also
believed to have died when Aristotle was young. It is
believed that
Aristotle had two siblings; Arimneste his sister and

Arimnestus his
brother. It is probable that Aristotle was the youngest of
the three siblings.
Aristotle remained closely involved with the Macedonian
court even after
his father died. Proxenus of Atarneus became Aristotle's
guardian until
Aristotle came of age. Proxenus was married to Aristotle's
older sister,
Arimneste. When Aristotle turned seventeen, Proxenus
sent him to Athens
to chivy a higher level of education. At the time, Athens
was considered
the academic core of the universe. Aristotle enrolled in
Plato's Academy,
considered Greece's peak learning institution. There,
Aristotle
demonstrated himself to be an admirable scholar.
Aristotle managed a
relationship with the academy and Plato for two decades.
Plato died in
347 B.C. Although many fancied Aristotle would take his
place as the

director at the academy, he did not, on account of

disagreeing with some
of Plato's philosophical theories. After Plato died,
Aristotle's friend
Hermias, king of Atarneus, lured Aristotle to court.
Aristotle stayed in
Mysia for three years. During his stay he married his first
wife, Pythias,
also Hermias' niece.The couple bore a daughter named
after her mother,
Pythias.
In 338 B.C. Aristotle, at age 46, returned to
Macedonia to begin
instructing Alexander the Great. Alexander the Great held
great respect
for Aristotle, and made sure he was rewarded in the
Macedonian court. In
335 B.C. Aristotle returned to Athens. With Alexander's
consent Aristotle
began his own school, The Lyceum. Aristotle spent the
remainder of his
life as a professor, writer, and researcher at The Lyceum.
Aristotle's

students were nicknamed "Peripatetics" , people who

travel around, for
having to follow Aristotle through the school's halls while
he was
teaching