In the present article, we examine a paradox that has gone almost entirely unnoticed by commentators, both ancient and modern. This oversight may surprise scholars, given the extensive body of work on Timaeus’ universe, much of which emphasizes discrepancies with astronomical observations or points out alleged internal contradictions. This paradox arises from the premise of a universe entirely filled with polyhedra and that nonetheless has a spherical surface despite the absence of any void outside it.
Zeno’s well-known Millet Seed logos has only two sources: Aristotle’s brief rejection of it in Physics and Simplicius’ dialogue between Zeno and Protagoras providing that logos. This logos falls beyond Zeno’s familiar paradoxes and is often ignored. Found in the ad hominem style, it has been treated as a refutation of Protagorean relativism. This article provides a new reading of this fundamental evidence for Zeno and his putative dialogue.
