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By the euhemeristic Hellespontine Greeks , Herodotus was told that Zalmoxis was really a man, formerly a slave (or disciple) of Pythagoras (who taught him the "sciences of the skies") at Samos, who, having obtained his freedom and amassed great wealth, returned to Thrace and instructed his fellow tribesmen in the doctrines of Pythagoras and the arts of civilization and agriculture.
He traveled to Egypt and brought the people mystic knowledge about the immortality of the soul, teaching them that they would pass at death to a certain place, where they would enjoy all possible blessings for all eternity.
He had a subterranean chamber constructed (other accounts say that it was a natural cave) on the holy mountain of Kogainon, to which he withdrew for three years (some other accounts considered he actually lived in Hades for these three years). The cave is located in the Bucegi Mountains of Romania and named the Ialomicioara Cave . After his disappearance, he was considered dead and mourned by his people, but in the fourth year he returned, an episode that some considered to be a resurrection. (Thus it can be seen as a parallel to Jesus Christ's resurrection.)
Herodotus, who declines to commit himself as to the existence of Zalmoxis, expresses the opinion that in any case he must have lived long before the time of Pythagoras.
PlatoFor the computing technology, see PLATO System. Plato ( Greek: Platon (c. 427 BC c. 347 BC) was an immensely influential classical Greek philosopher, student of Socrates, teacher of Aristotle, writer, and founder of the Academy in Athens. Plato, who is be says in the CharmidesFamous dialogue of Plato, discussing, inter alia the medicine of Abaris the Hyperborean. Charmides is a young and beautiful Athenian, talking here to Socrates. A Note on Charmides 169e-170a http://www. charlesumlauf. com/charmides. dialogue that Zalmoxis was also a great medic who treated the mind as part of healing the whole human being, not only the body as the Greek medics did.After the death of Zalmoxis, his cult grew to be in probably one of the earliest monotheisticMonotheism is the belief in a single, universal, all-encompassing deity. Various forms of monotheism exist, including: Theism, a term that usually refers to the belief in a 'personal' god, that is, a single god with a distinctive personality, rather than religions. During the rule of BurebistaBurebista the greatest king of Dacia, ruled between 70 BC and 44 BC. He unified the Thracian population from Hercinica (today's Moravia) in the West, to the Bug in the East and from Northern Carpathians to Dionysopolis, choosing his capital (called Argeda, the traditional year of his birth, 713 BC, was to be considered the first year of the Dacian calendar.
It is probable that Zalmoxis is Sabazius, the Thracian DionysusDionysus the name of a god, is occasionally confused with Dionysius the Elder, tyrant of Syracuse. Dionysus (or Dionysos also known as Bacchus in Roman mythology and associated with the Italic Liber , the Greek god of wine, represents not only the intoxic or Zeus. Mnaseas of Patrae identified him with Cronos. In Plato he is mentioned as skilled in the arts of incantation.
His realm as a god is not very clear, as some considered him to be a sky-god, a god of the dead or a god of the Mysteries.