The limit and pebbles: what did Eurytus speak about?

This article attempts to reconsider the customary assessment of the performances attributed to one of the last Early Pythagoreans, Eurytus of Tarentum. His practice of «defining» a thing with the number of pebbles needed to draw its silhouette is usually regarded as a naïve or unworthy version of the number philosophy of his teacher, Philolaus of Croton. Our approach focuses on the concept of the limit, or the boundary (ὅρος), used by Aristotle to explain Eurytus' practice, which we analyse in the context of Aristotle's testimonies distinguishing Early Pythagoreanism from its interpretations in the Early Academy. We strive to show that the idea underlying Eurytus' performances deserves more appreciation in the context of Presocratic philosophy, and to lay a basis for an alternative approach to the interpretation of this practice.