Theophrastus
Sign in to saveTheophrastus (; ; c. 371 – c. 287 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher and naturalist. A native of Eresos in Lesbos, he was Aristotle's close colleague and successor as head of the Lyceum, the Peripatetic school of philosophy in Athens. Theophrastus wrote numerous treatises across all areas of philosophy, working to support, improve, expand, and develop the Aristotelian system. He made significant contributions to various fields, including ethics, metaphysics, botany, and natural history. Often considered the "father of botany" for his groundbreaking works "Enquiry into Plants" () and "On the
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Theophrastus was an ancient Greek philosopher and naturalist who succeeded Aristotle as head of the Lyceum in Athens and made major contributions to ethics, metaphysics, botany, and natural history by expanding Aristotle's philosophical system. He is widely regarded as the "father of botany" for his pioneering botanical works, making him one of the most influential thinkers of the ancient world across multiple fields of study.
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Person · Open Library
- Born
- 370 BCE
- Died
- 286
- Works
- 156
Top works
- Theophrastou Charactēres
- De historia plantarum lib. ix et decimi principium duntaxat
- De causis plantarum lib. vi
- I caratteri morali
- Theophrasti De historia, et causis plantaru[m], libri quindecim
via Open Library + Wikidata
Listeners · Last.fm
- Listeners
- 13
- Total plays
- 16
<a href="https://www.last.fm/music/Theophrastus">Read more on Last.fm</a>
Recent publications · Crossref
5 total works indexed
Works in European collections
36 objects attributed to Theophrastus, held across European museums, libraries & archives · via Europeana
Article
23 sectionsContents
- Life
- Writings
- On plants
- On moral characters
- On sensation
- Physics
- Metaphysics
- On stones
- Publication History
- Philosophy
- Logic
- Physics and metaphysics
- Ethics
- The "portrait" of Theophrastus
- In popular culture
- Works
- Modern editions
- Brill
- Explanatory notes
- Citations
- General and cited references
- Further reading
- External links
Theophrastus (; ; c. 371 – c. 287 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher and naturalist. A native of Eresos in Lesbos, he was Aristotle's close colleague and successor as head of the Lyceum, the Peripatetic school of philosophy in Athens. Theophrastus wrote numerous treatises across all areas of philosophy, working to support, improve, expand, and develop the Aristotelian system. He made significant contributions to various fields, including ethics, metaphysics, botany, and natural history. Often considered the "father of botany" for his groundbreaking works "Enquiry into Plants" () and "On the Causes of Plants", () Theophrastus established the foundations of botanical science. His given name was (Ancient Greek: ); the nickname Theophrastus ("divine speaker") was reputedly given to him by Aristotle in recognition of his eloquent style.
He came to Athens at a young age and initially studied in Plato's school. After Plato's death, he attached himself to Aristotle who took to Theophrastus in his writings. When Aristotle fled Athens, Theophrastus took over as head of the Lyceum. Theophrastus presided over the Peripatetic school for thirty-six years, during which time the school flourished greatly. He is often considered the father of botany for his works on plants. After his death, the Athenians honoured him with a public funeral. His successor as head of the school was Strato of Lampsacus.
