This book, the first ever biography of the father of philosophy, tracks Plato's life from his childhood in war-torn Athens at the end of the fifth century BCE to his founding of the Academy, adventures in Sicily, death, and immense legacy. Throughout, it sheds light on Plato's many timeless works of philosophy.

Robin Waterfield is an independent scholar and translator living in southern Greece. Among his numerous translations of Greek works are Plato's Symposium, Gorgias, and Republic, all published in the Oxford World's Classics series. His previous works of history include Creators, Conquerors, and Citizens: A History of Ancient Greece and Taken at the Flood: The Roman Conquest of Greece.

• Preface and Acknowledgments


• Maps


• List of Illustrations and Tables


• List of Plato's Dialogues


• Timeline


• Introduction


• The Sources


• 1. Growing Up in Wartime Athens


• 2. The Intellectual Environment


• 3. From Politics to Philosophy


• 4. Southern Italy and Sicily


• 5. The Academy


• 6. The Second and Third Visits to Syracuse


• 7. Last Years


• Further Reading


• Index