Peregrinus Proteus Lights His Pyre

In 165 A.D. near Olympia, philosopher Peregrinus Proteus, who said he wanted to "put a tip of gold on a golden life," promised to set himself on fire in public. He chose the final night of the Olympics as his stage and gathered a crowd of spectators. After delivering his own eulogy, he lit his funeral pyre himself and jumped into the flames. The crowd watched as he fulfilled his promise and turned his death into a public spectacle.

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