Theophrastus

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

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Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/theophrastus

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. When was Theophrastus born?Circa 371 BC
2. Where was Theophrastus born?Eresos, Lesbos, Greece
3. What is Theophrastus known for?Expanded on Aristotelian ethics, metaphysics, logic, and theories of perception and language
4. What is the philosophical affiliation?Peripatetic School (Aristotelian)
5. Who was Theophrastus and why is he called the father of botany?Theophrastus was a Greek thinker from Lesbos who studied under Plato and Aristotle. He wrote two big books about plants, making botany a science. Because of this, he is called the father of botany.
6. How did Theophrastus become a leader of the Lyceum?After Aristotle had to leave Athens, Theophrastus took over the Lyceum. He ran the school for 36 years, keeping Aristotle's ideas alive and adding new ones.

Hellenistic Period: A historical era following the conquests of Alexander the Great, characterized by the spread of Greek culture.
Empirical Inquiry: A method of investigation based on observation and experimentation rather than theory.
Ontological Questions: Philosophical inquiries concerning the nature of being, existence, and reality.