Plato Posted in: Authors
Plato (427–347 BCE) came from a wealthy, aristocratic Athenian family and, at twenty, became a follower of Socrates. He left Athens in 399 BCE on the death of Socrates and, following a sojourn in Megara, travelled to Egypt, Italy and Sicily. He returned to Athens in 387 BCE and founded his own school, the Academy. Lasting a millennium, it is considered the first university of the Western world. Plato ’s entire body of work has survived and has had an immense influence on modern thought.