Theophrastus (371?-287? B.C.) was an influential Greek intellectual (thinker). He became a friend, pupil, and colleague (professional associate) of the Greek philosopher Aristotle . Theophrastus served as head of the Lyceum , a school founded by Aristotle, for many years. His study of plants earned him the nickname the “father of botany.”
Theophrastus was from Lesbos , a Greek island in the Aegean Sea . His name at birth was Tyrtamus. He studied philosophy and later moved to Athens . There he attended the Academy, a school founded by the Greek philosopher Plato . Theophrastus became close friends with Aristotle at the Academy. Aristotle called him Theophrastus, which means divine speaker, because of his eloquence. After Plato’s death in about 347 B.C., Theophrastus spent a number of years overseas with Aristotle. He went to Assos, in western Asia Minor ; Lesbos; and Macedonia , where Aristotle was invited to tutor the future Macedonian ruler Alexander the Great . During his travels, Theophrastus probably began collecting specimens for his monumental works on botany —Plant Explanations and Enquiry into Plants.
Theophrastus returned to Athens with Aristotle around 335 B.C. and helped establish the Lyceum. Aristotle left Athens around 323 B.C., after the Athenians charged him with impiety (lack of reverence for the gods). Theophrastus then became head of the Lyceum, which he led for most of the next 35 years.
According to the biographer Diogenes Laertius, Theophrastus wrote about 200 works. Although Theophrastus is well known for his botanical writings, his works cover a broad range of topics. Theophrastus’s surviving works on topics other than botany include Metaphysics, or On First Principles, on the origin of natural phenomena; the comical Characters, which categorizes personality types; and writings about geology, meteorology, physiological (bodily) functions, and fish. According to Diogenes, Theophrastus also produced works about ethics, logic, poetics, politics, physics, rhetoric (the art of using words), and even music theory. In his writing, Theophrastus clearly engaged with Aristotle’s ideas.
Theophrastus taught several important intellectuals, including the Greek comic playwright Menander and the Athenian politician Demetrius of Phaleron. Demetrius is thought to have helped establish the Alexandrian Library in Egypt, probably using the Lyceum as an example. Theophrastus died in Athens in 287 B.C. Widely respected during his lifetime, he was given a public funeral.
