The Scythian sage
The Acts of Archelaus, a 4th-century polemic against the Manichaeans, tells of Scythianus, a teacher from Scythia who lived in Egypt and was a forerunner of Mani. Modern retellings sometimes call Ammonius Saccas a Scythian sage.
Told by Hegemonius, Acts of Archelaus, c. 330–350 CE, a century after Ammonius
What the evidence supports
No ancient source calls Ammonius Saccas a Scythian. Porphyry's Life of Plotinus, the main source for him, does not.
Sources (3)
- Hegemonius, Acts of Archelaus on Scythianus
- Porphyry, Life of Plotinus 3
- F. M. Schroeder, "Ammonius Saccas", in Aufstieg und Niedergang der römischen Welt II.36.1 (Berlin, 1987) 493–526