10 Weirdest Ways Famous Ancient Greeks Died

10. Philitas Of Cos — Studied So Hard, He Wasted Away

I'm sure at some point in our lives, we've all done a bit of cramming. Philitas of Cos, however, rather took this to the extreme.

An accomplished elegiac poet and a pioneering lexicographer, Philitas carried an exulted reputation throughout the centuries until, regrettably, his works were lost in the Dark Ages. As such, aside from his reputation, we have only one gift from Philitas to posterity: the unusual manner in which he overexerted himself.

Athenaeus records that Philitas studied false arguments and incorrect word usage in the course of his grammatical and lexicographical work with such intensity that he starved himself and wasted away. Another source suggests that the final blow was dealt at the end of these obsessive evenings when he came across the 'liar's paradox,' and developed insomnia on top of his starving by thinking about it so much, thereby pushing himself over the edge (the paradox is when someone says 'I am lying,' as if they are telling the truth then they are lying which means they can't be telling the truth, yet they must be so on and so forth).

To be fair, that would probably push me over the edge as well.