Bryson of Heraclea was a Greek philosopher and sophist active in the 4th century BCE. He came from a city named Heraclea, though the exact location—whether on the Black Sea or in southern Italy—is uncertain. His educational background is also unclear; ancient sources variously describe him as a student of the mathematician Eucleides of Megara or of the Pythagorean Archytas, and he is sometimes linked to the circle of Socrates. He was a contemporary of Aristotle.
Bryson is known for a single, influential work on the famous geometric problem of squaring the circle. The treatise itself is lost and survives only through references and critiques by later authors, most notably Aristotle.
His historical importance rests primarily on this mathematical work. Aristotle discussed Bryson's method in his own writings, treating it as an example of a sophistical or logically flawed argument rather than a valid geometric proof. According to modern scholars, Bryson's approach involved using a series of polygons and was later seen as a precursor to the more rigorous "method of exhaustion" developed by Eudoxus. Beyond mathematics, a ethical maxim warning against overly broad arguments is occasionally attributed to him. His fragmentary legacy places him within the diverse intellectual debates of the 4th century BCE.
Available Works
Sources
- Stanford Encyclopedia Entry (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) Accessed: 2026-01-26
- Perseus Entry (Perseus Digital Library) Accessed: 2026-01-26
- Perseus Entry (Perseus Digital Library) Accessed: 2026-01-26