The word “atheist” comes from the Greek adjective ἄθεος/atheos which originally meant “godless.” This meaning of the word persisted, but in the 4th century BCE it also took on the additional sense of disbelief in the existence of the gods. Atheism of this sort is hard to detect in antiquity, with limited evidence for anyone voicing openly atheistic statements. Atheism nonetheless played a role in philos…