Theano (philosopher)

Theano (; Greek: Θεανώ) was a 6th-century BC Pythagorean philosopher. She has been called the wife or student of Pythagoras, although others see her as the wife of Brontinus. Her place of birth and the identity of her father is uncertain as well. Many Pythagorean writings were attributed to her in antiquity, including some letters and a few fragments from philosophical treatises, although these are all regarded as spurious by modern scholars.

Life

Little is known about the life of Theano, and the few details on her life from ancient testimony are contradictory. According to Porphyry, she came from Crete and was the daughter of Pythonax. In the catalog of Aristoxenus of Tarentum quoted by Iamblichus, she is the wife of Brontinus, and from Metapontum in Magna Graecia, while Diogenes Laertius reports a tradition from Hermesianax where she came from Crotone, was the daughter of Brontinus, married Pythagoras, and while some claim that after Pythagoras' passing, she took over his school, the evidence is overwhelmingly clear that was not the case.

Writings

Many writings were attributed to Theano in antiquity. The Suda attributes to her works with the titles Pythagorean Apophthegms, Advice to Women, On Pythagoras, On Virtue and Philosophical Commentaries, which have not survived. In addition, a short fragment attributed to her from a work titled On Piety (Peri eusebeias) is preserved in the Anthologium of Stobaeus.