Theaetetus
(Θεαίτητος), a Rhodian, who was one of the leaders of the party in his native city favourable to the Roman cause. He is first mentioned as accompanying Philophron on an embassy to the ten Roman deputies, who after the defeat of Antiochus settled the affairs of Asia, B. C. 189. (Plb. 23.3.) During the war between the Romans and Perseus, his name is again repeatedly associated with that of Philophron : their efforts to oppose all concessions to the Macedonian king and his partisans, have been already related. [Philophron.] Hence when the defeat of Perseus gave the decided preponderance to the Roman party, the Rhodians hastened to appoint Theaetetus their admiral, an office of the highest rank in that naval republic, and at the same time sent him as their ambassador to Rome, to intercede in favour of his native city. But the advanced age of their deputy frustrated their intentions : Theaetetus, who was above 80 years old, dying at Rome before the senate had come to a decision concerning his countrymen. (Plb. 27.11, 28.2, 14, 29.5, 30.5, 19.) [E.H.B]
(Θεαίτητος), literary.
1. A Pythagorean philosopher, who legislated for the Locrians. (Iamblich. Vit. Pyth. 30 ; Fabric. Bibl. Graec. vol. i. p. 876, vol. ii. p. 38.)
2. An Athenian, the son of Euphronius of Sunium, is introduced as one of the speakers in Plato's Theaeteius and Sophistes, in which dialogues he is spoken of as a noble, courageous, and well-disposed youth; in person somewhat like Socrates ; and ardent in the pursuit of knowledge, especially in the study of geometry. (Plat. Theaet. pp. 143, 144. et alib.; Sophist. passim; Polit. pp. 257, 258, p. 266a.) Diogenes Laertius (2.29) mentions him as an example of the happy effects of the teaching of Socrates. Eusebius (Chron.) places "Theaetetus the mathematician" at Ol. 85, B. C. 440, a date which can only be accepted as referring, not to the time when he really flourished, but when, as a mere youth, he became the disciple of Socrates. (Comp. Fabric. Bibl. Graec. vol. iii. p. 78, note.)
3. A poet of the Greek Anthology, of whom we only know with certainty that he lived at or after the time of the Academic philosopher Crantor, his epitaph upon whom is preserved by Diogenes Laertius (4.25). Crantor flourished about Ol. 116, B. C. 316. Six epigrams of his are contained in the Greek Anthology (Brunck, Anal. vol. ii. p. 251, vol. iii. p. 131, Lection. p. 189; Jacobs, Anth. Graec. vol. ii. p. 227, vol. xiii. p. 957; Fabric. Bibl. Graec. vol. iv. p. 496.)
4. Scholasticus, an epigrammatist of the time of Justinian, as is clearly proved by the references in his epigrams to Domninus, who was prefect of the city under Justin I. (Ep. 5), and to Julianus Antecessor (Ep. 6). Reiske confounded him with the former epigrammatist of the same name (No. 2). The Medicean library contains a MS. tract περὶ ἀττικῶν ὀνομάτων under the name of Theaetetus Scholasticus (Bandini, Catal. vol. ii. p. 368); and Suidas (s. v. Οὐδὲν πρὸς τὸν Διόνυσον) mentions a work on Proverbs (περὶ παροιμιῶν) by a certain Theaetetus. (Brunck, Anal. vol. ii. p. 514; Jacobs, Anth. Graec. vol. iii. p.214, vol. xiii. p. 957; Fabric. Bibl. Graec. vol. iv. p. 496.) [P.S]
(Θεαίτητος). An Athenian, the son of Euphronius of Sunium, introduced as one of the speakers in Plato's Theaetetus and Sophistes, in which he is spoken of as a noble youth, ardent in the pursuit of knowledge, and especially in the study of geometry.