Theodore of Smyrna

Theodore of Smyrna was a Byzantine philosopher, judge and teacher who died around 1112 and was active in Constantinople during the reign of Alexios I Komnenos. Raised in Constantinople after originating from Smyrna, he achieved prominence there and received the title hypatos ton philosophon, chief of the philosophers, in 1082, following Michael Psellos and John Italus in that post. He also held the Byzantine offices of kouropalates, protoedros and koiaistor, and historical records place him in 1112 taking part in theological discussions with Peter Grossolanus. His principal surviving work is the Epitome of Nature and Natural Principles according to the Ancients, preserved in a single manuscript, which synthesizes ancient Greek perspectives on nature and stands as a Byzantine contribution to the history of natural philosophy.