Theoros
Description
The Theoros Project:
"In seeking a model for this new type of scholar, we find inspiration in an ancient Greek figure: the theōros — a contemplative, a representative, and a traveler. The word means “seer,” “observer,” or “spectator.” As a group, the theōroi were practitioners in the art of theōria (contemplation), from which our word “theory” also derives. A theōros could be a figure of civic, philosophical, or religious importance. At times, the theōros would move among all three of these spheres. In this sense, theōroi were not just contemplatives but also delegates and civic representatives, travelers who would move from city to city to bear witness to events of special significance.
Indeed, one could find the theōroi traveling to Olympia, to Delphi, and to other Greek city-states during moments of importance. The theōroi would come to observe and then return home to give an account of the event to their community. In their contemplative modes, theōroi were also committed to that higher seeing we associate with religious pilgrimage to sanctuaries and sacred places. Travel for a theōros can thus mean physical travel but also theoric travel—a different kind of journey and return seen in the movements between history and timelessness, sacred and secular, and immanence and transcendence.
The concept of traditional theōria in ancient Greek culture, then, encompassed a range of meanings, from sacred observation to civic participation. Originally referring to delegates at religious festivals or spectators at public events, it evolved to include travelers and explorers of many kinds. At its core, theōria involved a journey or pilgrimage, often to witness these sacred events or spectacles. This practice included three key elements: the journey from home, focused contemplation, and a return journey, with the act of seeing a sacred event or place at its center."