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Plato Timeline

(c. 428 BCE – 348 BCE)

Plato (c. 428–348 BCE) was an ancient Greek philosopher, student of Socrates, and teacher of Aristotle. He founded the Academy in Athens, one of the earliest institutions of higher learning in the Western world, and wrote influential philosophical dialogues covering ethics, politics, metaphysics, and epistemology. Less

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Ancient Text and Transmission

Thrasyllus's tetralogic arrangement preserved

1 AD - 99 AD

The first-century AD arrangement of Plato's works into groups of four dialogues by Thrasyllus of Mendes underlies the ordering of the Platonic corpus as it has been handed down to the present day.

Complete Platonic corpus transmitted

1 AD - 99 AD

Based on Thrasyllus's first-century AD arrangement, the text of Plato received today apparently represents the complete written philosophical work of Plato, preserved across nearly two millennia.

Sisyphus considered spurious

1 AD - 99 AD

The dialogue Sisyphus circulated under Plato's name in the ancient world, yet by the 1st century AD it had already been judged spurious and excluded from the authentic corpus.

On Justice and On Virtue considered spurious

1 AD - 99 AD

The short works On Justice and On Virtue were attributed to Plato in antiquity, but both were already recognized as spurious by the 1st century AD and kept apart from his genuine dialogues.

Image source: Republic (Plato)

On Justice and On Virtue considered spurious

Halcyon considered spurious

1 AD - 99 AD

The brief dialogue Halcyon reached later generations under Plato's name, although ancient scholarship had already classified it among the spurious works by the 1st century AD.

Eryxias considered spurious

1 AD - 99 AD

The dialogue Eryxias, dealing with wealth, was transmitted under Plato's name in the ancient world, but it was already deemed spurious by critics in the 1st century AD.

Epigrams considered spurious

1 AD - 99 AD

A collection of Epigrams attributed to Plato circulated in antiquity, though by the 1st century AD these poems were already widely considered spurious additions to the Platonic corpus.

Demodocus considered spurious

1 AD - 99 AD

The short dialogue Demodocus was passed down under Plato's name, but ancient critics by the 1st century AD had already determined that it was not an authentic work of Plato.

Image source: Demodocus (dialogue)

Demodocus considered spurious

Definitions considered spurious

1 AD - 99 AD

The work known as Definitions circulated under Plato's name in antiquity, yet it was already regarded as spurious by the 1st century AD and excluded from the authentic Platonic corpus.

Image source: Definitions (Plato)

Definitions considered spurious

Axiochus considered spurious

1 AD - 99 AD

The dialogue Axiochus was transmitted under Plato's name in antiquity, but scholars as early as the 1st century AD had already judged it to be a spurious work not genuinely written by Plato.

Image source: Axiochus (dialogue)

Axiochus considered spurious

Spurious works identified in antiquity

1 AD - 99 AD

Several works transmitted under Plato's name in antiquity were already considered spurious by the 1st century AD: Axiochus, Definitions, Demodocus, Epigrams, Eryxias, Halcyon, On Justice, On Virtue, and Sisyphus.

Image source: Plato

Spurious works identified in antiquity

Thrasyllus arranges Plato's works

1 AD - 99 AD

In the first century AD, Thrasyllus of Mendes arranged Plato's dialogues into tetralogies, creating the arrangement on which the text of Plato received today is apparently based, representing his complete written philosophical work.

Medieval Reception

Latin translations of Plato begin

1100 - 1199

Beginning in the 12th century, translations of Plato's works into Latin were made, gradually expanding western access beyond the Timaeus, which had been the only Platonic text previously known.

Renaissance and Early Modern Editions

Plethon brings Plato's writings to Florence

1400 - 1499

During the Renaissance, Gemistos Plethon brought Plato's original Greek writings from Constantinople to Florence in the century of that city's fall, sparking a revival of Platonic studies in Italy.

Image source: Gemistos Plethon

Plethon brings Plato's writings to Florence

Fall of Constantinople context for Plethon's mission

1400 - 1499

Gemistos Plethon carried Plato's original writings from Constantinople to Florence during the very century in which Constantinople fell, transferring Greek learning westward at a pivotal historical moment.

Image source: Fall of Constantinople

Fall of Constantinople context for Plethon's mission

Ficino's translation printed by Valori and Berlinghieri

Sep 1484 - Oct 1484

In September or October 1484, Filippo Valori and Francesco Berlinghieri printed 1025 copies of Marsilio Ficino's Latin translation of Plato's complete works, making the full corpus widely available in Europe.

Image source: Marsilio Ficino

Ficino's translation printed by Valori and Berlinghieri

Estienne edition becomes standard reference

1578

Henri Estienne's 1578 Geneva edition, with its Latin translation and Serranus's commentary, became a standard reference for reading Plato and gave rise to the traditional page-numbering system.

Serranus provides commentary for Stephanus edition

1578

Joannes Serranus (Jean de Serres) supplied the parallel Latin translation and running commentary that accompanied Henri Estienne's landmark 1578 Geneva edition of Plato's complete works.

Image source: Jean de Serres

Serranus provides commentary for Stephanus edition

Stephanus publishes Plato's complete works in Geneva

1578

The 1578 edition of Plato's complete works published by Henricus Stephanus (Henri Estienne) in Geneva included a parallel Latin translation and running commentary by Joannes Serranus (Jean de Serres).

Image source: Henri Estienne

Stephanus publishes Plato's complete works in Geneva

Cambridge Platonists address metempsychosis

1600 - 1699

Among the challenging Platonic doctrines the Cambridge Platonists confronted was metempsychosis, the transmigration of souls, which they attempted to harmonize with Christian teachings about the soul.

Cambridge Platonists reconcile Plato with Christianity

1600 - 1699

The 17th century Cambridge Platonists sought to reconcile Plato's more problematic beliefs, such as metempsychosis and polyamory, with Christian doctrine, integrating Platonic philosophy into religious thought.

Image source: Cambridge Platonists

Cambridge Platonists reconcile Plato with Christianity

Modern Scholarship

Plato's reputation restored by the 19th century

1800 - 1899

By the 19th century, Plato's reputation had been fully restored, placing him at least on par with Aristotle in the estimation of philosophers and scholars throughout the Western world.

Plato ranked on par with Aristotle

1800 - 1899

The 19th-century restoration of Plato's standing meant that he was regarded as at least equal to Aristotle, cementing the two ancient thinkers as the twin pillars of Western philosophy.

Image source: Aristotle

Plato ranked on par with Aristotle

Egyptian papyri recovery begins

1900 - 1999

Since the beginning of the 20th century, many papyri containing text from Plato's dialogues have been recovered from Egypt, providing important early witnesses to the Platonic text.

Hellenistic-period papyri of Plato recovered

1900 - 1999

Among the papyri unearthed in Egypt since the start of the 20th century are copies of Plato's dialogues dating from the Hellenistic period, offering some of the earliest textual witnesses available.

Image source: Papyrus

Hellenistic-period papyri of Plato recovered

Third-century AD papyri of Plato recovered

1900 - 1999

Papyri from Egypt ranging through the third century AD containing passages of Plato's dialogues have been recovered since 1900, allowing scholars to compare and improve the received text.

Papyri provide early witnesses to Platonic text

1900 - 1999

The Egyptian papyri discovered since the beginning of the 20th century serve as important early witnesses to the text of Plato's dialogues, informing modern critical editions and textual scholarship.

Image source: Textual criticism

Papyri provide early witnesses to Platonic text

Modern critical editions build on ancient witnesses

1900 - 1999

Modern scholarship on Plato combines the ancient tetralogic arrangement of Thrasyllus, the manuscript tradition, and newly recovered Egyptian papyri to produce reliable critical editions of the dialogues.

Key Facts

  1. Plato was born around 428 BCE in Athens to an aristocratic family.
  2. He was a devoted student of Socrates, whose trial and execution deeply influenced his philosophy.
  3. Around 387 BCE, Plato founded the Academy in Athens, often considered the first university in the Western world.
  4. His most famous work, 'The Republic,' explores justice, the ideal state, and the theory of Forms.
  5. Plato taught Aristotle, who would go on to become another of history's most influential philosophers.

Source

This Plato timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

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