In 535 BC, Pythagoras left Samos and went to Egypt when Polycrates, the tyrant of Samos, took control. Pythagoras and Polycrates were believed to be friends at one point of time. There are evidences which suggest that Pythagoras was refrained from entering all temples in Egypt except the temple of Diospolis. He accepted priesthood and was allowed to enter the temple of Diospolis after performing the necessary rituals. He took part in several discussions with the Egyptian priests and embraced the various customs of Egyptian priests such as secrecy, not eating beans and wearing clothes that are not made from animal skins. During his time in Egypt, he pursued his education and specialized in Geometry and Mathematics. When Cambyses II, the king of Persia, invaded Egypt in 525 BC, Pythagoras was made prisoner and was taken to Babylon. On attaining freedom, he left Babylon in 520 BC and returned back to Samos. He then travelled to Crete to study the system of laws. He returned to Samos shortly after that and established a school named the ‘Semicircle’. In 518 BC, Pythagoras left Samos again for Southern Italy. It was in Croton, where he founded a religious school and had several followers who adopted his philosophical principles. He had inner circle of followers known as the ‘Mathematikoi’.
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