Son of Mnaseas or Demeas, from Kition (Kition is a city in Cyprus),[1] a philosopher who started the Stoic sect. And he himself was called Stoic due to his teaching in the Stoa in Athens, the one at first called the Peisianax's, then later after it was painted the Poikile.[2] He was a student of the Krates the Cynic,[3] then of Polemon the Athenian.[4] He died at 90 years of age after refusing nourishment each time it was offered, until he perished of weakness. It was prophesied to him when he inquired of the oracle concerning [sc. the best] life that he should take on the color of corpses, a point made to the ancients in their books.[5] He was called "Phoenician", since the Phoenicians were colonists of the town [sc. Kition] He was at his peak in the days of [King] Antigonos Gonatas,[6] in the 120th Olympiad.[7]
And [there was] a proverb, "stronger than Zeno". For this man held to an extremely ascetic way of life, so as even to enter the realm of the proverbial. For this man was pursuing a novel philosophy. He really did excel over all men in constitution and majesty and by Zeus also in his blessedness. And in fact in addition to that he completed 98 years disease-free and he died healthy.