Theophrastus *

a.k.a. Tyrtanius

Author Code: CTPH

Theophrastus is said to have attended Plato's lectures in Athens and to have become a pupil of Aristotle. On Aristotle's departure from Athens, Theophrastus took over the leadership of the Lyceum. During his tenure, he helped to broaden the peripatetic philosophy and increase the number of students dramatically. Theophrastus was a gifted scholar who established the first system of Botany with his works Enquiry Into Plants and The Aetiology of Plants. His oher preserved works include the Characters, From the Metaphysics and several scientific treatises dealing with physiological, meteorlogical and mineralogical subjects.