Theodoros Terzagos was a Greek Aristoteleans who sailed to the Hellespont in the 5th century B.C. He became one of the greatest leaders of Athens during the Peloponnesian War and afterwards he became the fifth president of the city. In the years that he served as president, his government was regarded as democratic and enlightened. But all this came about because he avoided war and joined the Agrarians, a group of anti-war and anti-clerical aristocrats who, together with Socrates, plundered the land for wealth and luxury.
There are various myths surrounding the life of Theodoros. Some say that he was the younger brother of Hippias, the poet and political philosopher, and that they were close when their father died. Others say that he was the younger son of Demetrius, the famous Athenian athlete and statesman. Or that he was the illegitimate child of the archangel Gabriel. It is also possible that he was either the younger son or nephew of Chrysothemis, who was the most beloved of the Greeks. Whatever the particulars, Theodoros had a great many lovers, some of whom became prominent politicians, writers, and musicians.
In addition to his political and intellectual life, Theodoros also spent considerable time acting. He appeared in plays by Plato, and acted in many other plays, including a feature-length drama, Theban. However, it must be said that the part of Chrysothemis in this drama was played by a woman. This fact led to many speculations as to whether he loved his sister or not.
In the years before his death, he left several writings which remain extremely important to historians today. Among them are the Medicean Odeons, the Phaedrus, and the Eulogy for Photini. It was also revealed that he wrote a number of tragedies, including the Eurydice, Lachesis, and Othello.
As is apparent from the above quotations, Theodoros spent his life very carefully writing about philosophy, religion, government, love, war, literature, and women. He spent considerable time traveling throughout Greece and Asia, as well as visiting Egypt, Italy, Sicily, and Egypt. One of the most interesting stories concerning him concerns his journey to the holy grail, which was said to be the source of all knowledge. He supposedly went there by ship, but was captured and sold into slavery to a Persian slave trader. After a few years, he managed to free himself and travel to Rome, where he became an important player in the debates surrounding Stoicism.
Of course, many of us who grew up reading the works of such notable philosophers as Seneca and Marcus Aurelius will have little sympathy for Theodoros. But then, as we grow up, we will inevitably come to respect and admire the works of those who came before us. And in light of the current state of world affairs, it is comforting to know that our classical minds were not the only ones to contemplate the idea of free will. Philosophy may have been born out of a desire to understand, but Athens certainly did not do any of it sitting on a big sailboat in the Mediterranean.
In Theodoros's case, the rise and fall of the empires, the life and death of Hippocrates, and the politics behind the infamous deposition of Cleopatra in 4th century BC are all interesting enough themselves. Still, it must be said that some of the details of his life and art – especially the fact that his name is not mentioned among the quotations on the Internet nor mentioned by him in any of his surviving writings – are a little difficult to swallow. In light of that, it does not do much to help convince those who would like to paint him as a crank, as some of his biographers have done.
However, one should not judge the man solely on his art. It is difficult to assess the quality of his other works, as very little is known about his life. His writings on art, for example, are notoriously difficult to understand. Yet, if we can accept the basic premise that he was a great admirer of ancient Greek art (which he was, as evidenced by the many art pieces of ancient Greece), then it does not really matter what he did not do in his private life. As long as we can accept that he was at least an artist, then he was probably a great teacher and thinker. That makes him an important part of the history of Western art, and one who deserves our appreciation even if we do not agree with his political views.
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