Plotinus was a philosopher of the Roman Empire in the 3rd century CE and is considered the founder of the Neoplatonist school of thought. He was likely born in Egypt and moved to Rome around 245 CE, where he taught and wrote for the rest of his life. He attracted a circle of students and enjoyed imperial patronage.

His entire philosophical work consists of a series of treatises. After his death, his student Porphyry collected and organized these writings into a single, structured work titled the Enneads.

Plotinus's significance lies in his synthesis of earlier Greek philosophy into a new and influential system. According to modern scholars, his thought centers on a hierarchy of reality emanating from a supreme source, called the One. His philosophy became the dominant intellectual framework of late antiquity. It profoundly influenced later pagan philosophers and had a major impact on the development of Christian, Jewish, and Islamic theology. The Enneads remain the foundational text of Neoplatonic philosophy.