Theophrastus facts for kids
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Theophrastus
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Statue of Theophrastus
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| Born | c. 371 BC Eresos
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| Died | c. 287 BC |
| Era | Ancient philosophy |
| Region | Western Philosophy |
| School | Peripatetic school |
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Main interests
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Botany, ethics, grammar, history, logic, metaphysics, natural history, physics |
Theophrastus (Greek: Θεόφραστος; c. 371 – c. 287 BC), a Greek native of Eresos in Lesbos, was the successor to Aristotle in the Peripatetic school.
He came to Athens at a young age and studied in Plato's school. After Plato's death, he attached himself to Aristotle. Aristotle bequeathed to Theophrastus his writings and designated him as his successor at the Lyceum.
Theophrastus led 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.
Images for kids
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The bust inscribed "Θεόφραστος Μελάντα Ἐρέσιος (Theophrastos Melanta Eresios)"
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Aristotle, Theophrastus, and Strato of Lampsacus. Part of a fresco in the portico of the University of Athens painted by Carl Rahl, c. 1888.
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Frontispiece to the illustrated 1644 edition of the Enquiry into Plants (Historia Plantarum)
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Frankincense trees in Dhufar
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Cinnamomum verum, from Köhler's Medicinal Plants, (1887)
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Cut emeralds
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Theophrastus, depicted as a medieval scholar in the Nuremberg Chronicle
