Pythagoras was an Ionian Greek person who used an extensive knowledge of mathematics in his work.
Ephesus ( [ ˈɛfəsəs ] Ἔφεσος Ephesos ; Efes ultimately from Hittite Apasa ) was an ancient Greek city on the coast of Ionia , three kilometres southwest of present-day Selçuk in İzmir Province , Turkey . Pythagoras of Samos ( [ pɪˈθægərəs ] [ paɪˈθægərəs ] [ Πυθαγόρας ὁ Σάμιος , Pythagóras ho Sámios , Pythagoras the Samos , Samian ] , or simply Πυθαγόρας Πυθαγόρης in Ionian Greek ; ) was an Ionian Greek philosopher , mathematician , and putative founder of the Pythagoreanism movement . He is often revered as a great mathematician and scientist and is best known for the Pythagorean theorem which bears his name . Legend and obfuscation cloud his work , so it is uncertain whether he truly contributed much to mathematics or natural philosophy . Pythagoras of Samos ( Greek : Πυθαγόρας ο Σάμιος ) lived in the period around the last part of 6th century BC and early 5th century BC , and was an ancient Greek boxer and a winner in boxing at ancient Olympic Games .