Was pleasure seeking the belief of:

an epicurean

a stoic

a emperor

or a philosopher

 An Epicurean

Explanation:

Let's clarify what "pleasure seeking" would mean in the original theory of the the ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus.  Epicurus (341-270 BC) believed that the universe and all life within it is essentially a random interaction of atomic particles.  So according to Epicurus, human life is what we have while we're living in this form, but there is no afterlife of individual souls.  So he advocated that the best way to live life, while we are alive, was to seek pleasure and avoid pain.  But his definition of "pleasure" was not some wild party, but the most comfortable and fulfilling sort of mental and physical existence.  So he urged living a life of moderation in order to avoid as much pain as possible.  Pursuing highly emotional relationships or stressful responsibilities in society would cause too much mental pain, he thought, so he refrained from such things.  Similarly, eating too much of rich foods can make you sick, or drinking too much leaves you with a hangover -- so the pain isn't worth the initial pleasure you might feel.  Epicurus and his followers lived very simple lives in order to be free of as much mental and physical pain as possible.  

Some have characterized the "Epicurean" way of life as one that says, "Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die!"  But Epicurus himself would not have pursued a lifestyle that sought excessive pleasure through eating, drinking and partying, because too much pain would come along with it.

herodotus taught this. herodotus was an ancient greek historian who was born in halicarnassus in the persian empire. he is known for having written the book the histories, a detailed record of his "inquiry" on the origins of the greco-persian wars.

“the iliad” (gr: “iliás”) is an epic poem by the ancient greek poet homer, which recounts some of the significant events of the final weeks of the trojan war and the greek siege of the city of troy (which was also known as ilion, ilios or ilium in ancient times).