By Lieutenant General (Ret.) K. H. Konstantinidis
Theophrastus of Eresos in Lesbos (372–287 BC) was one of the great Greek philosophers. He was the son of Melantas, a craftsman who was engaged in dyeing wool.
Theophrastus first studied under Alcippus and subsequently under Plato. His original name was Tyrtamus. When he later came to Chalcis and assumed leadership of Aristotle’s school, Aristotle, impressed by the beauty of his expression and the power of his speech, called him Euphrastus. Later, the people called him Theophrastus.
The late author and my good friend Apostolos Gonidelis writes that the city of Eresos in Lesbos dates back at least to the 10th century BC. Eresos became particularly famous for the incomparable poet Sappho, who lived approximately two and a half centuries before Theophrastus.
At that time, Eresos was renowned for its grain, which was considered exceptionally fine and, as it was advertised, suitable even for the “gods.”
Initially, Theophrastus taught in Lesbos, but he soon travelled to Athens, which was then the world’s centre of civilization. There he studied under Plato, together with Aristotle and other students.
After Plato’s death, Theophrastus followed Aristotle to Assos in Asia Minor, together with Xenocrates, Callisthenes, Neleus and others. An important scientific and philosophical school was established there. After the death of Hermias in 345 BC, they left with Aristotle and went to Mytilene, where they remained, teaching and collecting a wealth of biological material.
A Teacher of Alexander the Great as well
They left Mytilene when Philip summoned Aristotle to undertake the education of Alexander, and Aristotle took Theophrastus with him. While the two philosophers were in Mytilene, they also struggled against the tyrants Hermon, Heraeus and Apollodorus, who were oppressing Eresos.
All the cities of Lesbos sided with Philip, joining the League of Corinth, which was led by the Macedonian king in 338 BC.
When Aristotle founded the Lyceum in Athens, Theophrastus was once again with him. Later, when Aristotle was accused of impiety and was forced to leave Athens and settle in Chalcis, he entrusted the Peripatetic School, the Lyceum, to Theophrastus.
Theophrastus distinguished himself through his intelligence, industriousness, thirst for knowledge and character. Diogenes Laertius relates that Aristotle, comparing Theophrastus with his nephew Callisthenes, metaphorically said that the former “needed a bridle,” whereas the latter “needed a spur.”
Regarding the name Tyrtamus, the author analyses similar names which may possibly derive from earlier ancient populations. In antiquity there were names and words ending in “-amos,” such as Pergamos, Pyramos, Iasmos, Teutamos, Sesamos, and others.
In the Greek language, the forms tyrsos, tyrris and tyrsis are associated with a tall structure, tower, or fortification and, by extension, with the walls of a city. The 5th-century lexicographer Hesychius mentions words associated with walls and fortifications. We could therefore hypothesize that Tyrtamus—or Tyrsamos—might symbolically mean “the guardian of the castle.”
Certainly, here the historically uninformed and the malicious would immediately rush to search for some “pre-Greek people” who supposedly migrated from the north or the east, as though the region had previously been devoid of indigenous populations. According to the author, Greek presence in the region shows continuity from the most ancient times to the present day. Some, however, disregard future developments and promote the slogan of “open gates.”
Diogenes Laertius reports that an Athenian demagogue, Agnonides, accused Theophrastus of impiety. According to tradition, he was a common slanderer who, through his accusations, had brought several people to their deaths until the Athenians recognized his character and punished him.
A law was then passed, on the initiative of the orator Sophocles, according to which philosophers were prohibited from teaching. This forced them temporarily to leave Athens. The Athenians, however, realized their mistake, repealed the law, and the philosophers returned to the city.
Theophrastus remained unmarried because he believed that marriage interfered with philosophical studies. Aristotle had even proposed that he marry his daughter, but Theophrastus declined.
He was an advocate of moderation, which Aristotle regarded as a characteristic of virtue. He never became actively involved in politics and did not participate in political associations, parties or factions.
He was always elegant and wore clean, white garments and expensive footwear. As a genuine Aeolian, he was a lover of good food, enjoyed the comforts of life and did not despise material possessions. Indeed, he believed that pleasures, when enjoyed in moderation, were compatible with the philosophical life.
He also said that there was nothing more useless than ambition and that the hardships of life were greater in number than its benefits.
He was a cheerful man, often joked, and possessed a magnificent command of language.
Through his way of life, he disapproved of those Stoic philosophers who believed that filth, lack of cleanliness and rags in one’s clothing could make a person a better philosopher.
He left behind an enormous and wide-ranging body of work—240 books—which have not survived to the present day. The only work that has survived and made him famous throughout the world is the celebrated Characters.
He died at a very advanced age, eighty-five years old, after withdrawing from active life. During his final period he was unable to walk, and his students carried him on a stretcher.
Shortly before his death, when his students asked him to give them some final advice, he said:
“You must consider your actions.”
(Diogenes Laertius, Lives of the Philosophers, 5.36–41)
COMMENTARY
1. The Four Philosophical Schools of Athens
Four important philosophical traditions developed in Athens:
a/ The Peripatetics sought knowledge and an understanding of nature and humanity.
b/ The Stoics pursued virtue, self-control, and a life according to reason.
c/ The Cynics pursued self-sufficiency and freedom from social conventions.
d/ The Epicureans pursued tranquility, freedom from fear, and peaceful happiness.
2. Theophrastus and the Peripatetic School
Theophrastus belonged to the Peripatetic philosophical school and became Aristotle’s most important successor in the leadership of the Lyceum.
3. The Spirit Flourished in the Ancient Greek World
Even in the smallest cities, there were philosophers.
(25 September 2026)
Lieutenant General (Ret.) Konstantinos Konstantinidis
Author – Member of the Society of Greek Writers
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