Editing Plotinus (section)

=== Expedition to Persia and return to Rome ===
After having spent eleven years in Alexandria, he then decided, at the age of around thirty-eight, to investigate the philosophical teachings of the [[Iranian philosophy|Persian]] and [[Indian philosophy|Indian philosophers]].<ref name="Britannica"/><ref>Porphyry, ''On the Life of Plotinus and the Order of His Books'', Ch. 3 (in Armstrong's Loeb translation, "he became eager to make acquaintance with the Persian philosophical discipline and that prevailing among the Indians").</ref> In the pursuit of this endeavor he left Alexandria and joined the army of the Roman emperor [[Gordian III]] as it marched on [[Sassanid Empire|Persia]] (242–243).<ref name="Britannica"/><ref name="Siorvanes 2018"/> However, [[Battle of Misiche|the campaign]] was a failure, and on Gordian's eventual death Plotinus found himself abandoned in a hostile land, and only with difficulty found his way back to safety in [[Antioch]].<ref name="Britannica"/><ref name="Siorvanes 2018"/>

At the age of forty, during the reign of Emperor [[Philip the Arab]], he came to [[History of Rome#Roman Empire|Rome]], where he stayed for most of the remainder of his life.<ref name="Britannica"/><ref name="Siorvanes 2018"/><ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Beauty and the mystic : Plotinus and Hawkins|last=Leete, Helen, 1938–|date=23 December 2016|isbn=9780987524836|location=Epping, N.S.W|oclc=967937243}}</ref> There he attracted a number of students. His innermost circle included [[Porphyry (philosopher)|Porphyry]], [[Amelius|Amelius Gentilianus]] of [[Tuscany]], the Senator [[Castricius Firmus]], and [[Eustochius of Alexandria]], a doctor who devoted himself to learning from Plotinus and attending to him until his death. Other students included: [[Zethos the Arab|Zethos]], an [[Arab]] by ancestry who died before Plotinus, leaving him a legacy and some land; [[Disciples of Plotinus|Zoticus]], a critic and poet; [[Paulinus (follower of Plotinus)|Paulinus]], a doctor of [[Beit She'an|Scythopolis]]; and [[Serapion (follower of Plotinus)|Serapion]] from Alexandria. He had students amongst the [[Roman Senate]] beside Castricius, such as [[Marcellus Orontius]], [[Sabinillus]], and [[Rogantianus]]. Women were also numbered amongst his students, including Gemina, in whose house he lived during his residence in Rome, and her daughter, also Gemina; and Amphiclea, the wife of Ariston, the son of [[Iamblichus]].<ref>Porphyry, ''Vita Plotini'', 9. See also Emma C. Clarke, [[John M. Dillon]], and Jackson P. Hershbell (1999), ''Iamblichus on The Mysteries'', page xix. SBL. who say that "to gain some credible chronology, one assumes that Ariston married Amphicleia some time after Plotinus's death"</ref> Finally, Plotinus was a correspondent of the philosopher [[Cassius Dionysius Longinus|Cassius Longinus]].