educated in rhetoric at Alexandria (Whitby 1986: ), he moved to Constantinople to study
law before 610 (Hist. 8.12.3–7; perhaps the judge attested in an inscription from Aphrodis-
ias: Grégoire #247). He wrote four works: History, Problems of Natural History, Ethical Epistles,
and On Predestined Terms of Life (favoring a synergism between predestination and random
fate). His eight-book moralizing “world history” continues Menander “Protector” and treats
the reign of Maurice (582–602), whom Theophulaktos eulogized ca 610; he described
Maurice’s Persian and Balkan wars, and included modest ethnographical and geographical
discussion of peoples from the Balkans to China: especially peoples along the Ister, their
cities, military histories, rivalries, and strength (Hist. 1.3.1–7.6). His Problems of Natural History
is cast in the form of a Platonic dialogue, wherein the fictional characters Antisthene ̄s and
Polukrate ̄s assess various explanations of 19 paradoxa: e.g., why iron does not burn, why
elephants stir water before drinking, why olive oil calms the ocean, why vultures gestate for
three years, why goat’s blood softens steel, why ravens do not drink in summer, why the
frogs of Seriphos are mute. Many of these wonders are noted in A from whom
Theophulaktos drew deeply throughout his oeuvre. His description of Tempe (Hist. 2.11.4–8)
relies on Ael. Var. Hist. 3.1 and examples in his Ethical Epistles derive from Ael. Nat. An.
(Pignani). He lists some 18 “predecessors” (including Aelianus), from canonical authors
(A, D, G, P, P, and T), to neo-
Platonists (D, I, P, P), and notably the paradox-
ographers B, H, I, and S, plus the geographer T.
His “Hierokle ̄s” is almost certainly H A. His “Alexander” is likely
to be A M or A M (read as a paradoxographer),
although A A cannot be ruled out.
Ed.: Ideler 1 (1841) 168–183; L. Massa Positano, Simocatta, Theophylactus: Questioni naturali (1965).
H. Grégoire, Recueil des inscriptions grecques-chrétiennes d’Asie mineure (1922); KP 5.725–726, H. Gärtner;
A. Pignani, “Strutture compositive delle epistole ‘morale’ di Teofilatto Simocata,” Univ. di Napoli,
Annali Fac. lett. e filos. 22 (ns10) (1979–1980) 51–59; Michael and Mary Whitby, trans., The History of
Theophylact Simocatta (1986); Michael Whitby, The Emperor Maurice and his historian: Theophylact Simocatta
on Persian and Balkan warfare (1988); ODB 1900 – 1901, B. Baldwin; PLRE 3 (1992) 1311.
GLIM
Theopompos (120 BCE – 300 CE)
A A 16.122 (Zervos 1901: 171) records his uterine fumigation, employing
storax, kostos, mastic, roses, etc. Diels 2 (1907) 106 records a Bologna MS, 1808
(15th c.), f.32V, containing extracts from Theopompos. The name is unattested after 300 CE
(LGPN). Cf. R.
Fabricius (1726) 435.
PTK
Theosebeia (ca 250 – 300 CE)
Alchemist and correspondent or even “sister” (Souda Z-168) of Z P.
Although none of her letters to Zo ̄simos (Mertens 1995, §1.19) survives, she practiced
alchemy as part of a coterie with whom Zo ̄simos sometimes worked (Mertens 1995,
§8.1). At some point she joined a group of alchemists including N and “the virgin
Taphnoutia” (CAAG 2.190). The fact that Zo ̄simos addresses Theosebeia as “purple-robed
THEOPOMPOS