Greek philosophers
Lúkianos
Lúkianos of Samosata was a Greek philosopher, orator and satirist. He was born in 120 AD in Samosata (now Samsat in southeastern Turkey) and died in 180 AD in Alexandria.
In his youth, Lúkianos trained as a sculptor, but then became an orator and writer. His work was very popular, even though he wrote in verse. It is reported that he wrote as many as 80 writings. He is considered one of the founders of science fiction. In his works, he states that the inhabitants of the ancient world already knew the fossilized footprints of prehistoric animals, but interpreted them as the remains of mythical heroes.
His work received a lot of attention around 1506, when humanism made him famous. Erasmus of Rotterdam and Thomas Morus drew heavily on his work.
Lúkianos travelled extensively throughout the Mediterranean, but he was also in Gaul, for example. In his old age, he became a clerk in Alexandria.