Pherekydes of SyrosIn the sixth century B. C., Pherekydes of Syros, the reputed teacher of Pythagoras and a contemporary of Thales and Anaximander, wrote a book about the birth of the gods and the origin of the cosmos. Considered one of the first prose works of Greek literature, Pherekydes' book survives only in fragments. Drawing on these fragments, as well as the ancient testimonies, Schibli here reconstructs the theo cosmological schema of Pherekydes. From the