ABSTRACT
In the case of Epicurus, who believed firmly that death is the end, it is not without irony that his own death marked but the beginning of a journey which would take him far in time and distance from his native Samos. We shall not make the journey with him step by step. Rather, we shall contrive to meet up with him at various stopping places along the way. The further we travel, however, the more we must be prepared for him to be wearing a different face. While the outline may be familiar, the features will sometimes be blurred, the lines indistinct. It is important, therefore, that we pause at the start to equip ourselves with a faithful portrait.
