ABSTRACT
In Chapter 3 it was argued that a group of core Neoplatonists shared a common embryological theory, and the focus of this theory was placed on metaphysical and etiological questions surrounding the generation and origin of the seed and its transformation into an embryo. In this chapter we shall be examining a couple of issues concerning the subsequent development of the embryo, namely the formation of its parts and its animation. Although these two issues might seem unrelated, in ancient embryology there were in fact close ties between theories of animation and theories of formation. But this is not the only reason these two topics have been reserved for special treatment in this chapter. In contrast to the core theory, there is no overwhelming consensus among Neoplatonists on these two issues. As far as the embryo’s formation is concerned, this may well simply be due to a lack of interest on their part in working out the details of the sequence of formation, but in the case of the embryo’s animation it is possible to detect a significant point of disagreement among Neoplatonists on the time and manner of the embryo’s animation.
