Roberto Bompiani, Roman Feast
The Romans expelled Alcæus and Philiscus out of the City, because they taught the young men many dishonest pleasures.
The Epicureans were expelled either in 173 or 154 BCE. They were both probably Greek and were an undesirable element in Roman society. At that time, the authorities often used expulsion (relegatio) as a form of removing unwanted foreigners from the city.
A similar fate befell the philosophers Carneades and Diogenes of Seleucia, who were forced to leave Rome in 155 BCE. Probably some of the teachings given by philosophers at that time were not always well received, especially by the Epicureans.
Sources
- Aelian, Various Histories, XII
