Background

Little is known of Parmenides' background except that he was born some time in the sixth century BC in Elea, a Greek colony in southern Italy. Parmenides belonged to a wealthy aristocratic family and he is said to have organised his city's laws so well that even in Plutarch's time (1st century AD) the officials still swore by Parmenides' Laws.
(Plutarch "Against Colotes" 1126AB)

Diogenes Laertius tells us that, although he was a pupil of Xenophanes, he "was led to calm" by a poor but admirable man, Ameinias, son of Diochaitis, for whom he built a shrine. Ameinias was said to be a follower of Pythagoras, but scholars search in vain for any elements of Pythagorean thought in Parmenides' work. He shares with Xenophanes the writing of his thoughts in verse.