The Mysteries and Platonic Projects
Literary and Historical Foundation

This is a list of the primary sources in my research.*
All dates are BC (BCE) and many are approximate.

Homer..............8th or 7th century, Greek poet. Hesiod.............8th or 7th century, Greek poet. Epic Cycles........8th-6th century. Collection. Homeric Hymns......7th-5th century. Collection.
Seventh Century Hymn to Demeter....Early 7th century. Archilochus........680-645 Iambic poet of Paros. Semonides..........mid-7th Iambic poet of Samos. Callinus...........mid-7th Elegiac poet of Ephesus. Alkman.............mid-7th Lyric poet. Stesichorus........640-555 Lyric poet. Solon..............638-558 Ruler of Greece: 594, Elegiac poet. Thales.............624-546 Of Miletus. Mathematician, first "philosopher." Alcaeus............620-580 Lyric poet of Lesbos. Sappho.............620-570 Lyric poet of Lesbos (Plato: "the tenth Muse"). Tyrtaeus...........late-7th Elegiac poet of Athens and Sparta. Mimnermus..........c.630 Elegiac poet. Susarion...........c.600 Iambic poet of Megera (first comedy?).
Sixth Century Iacchus Eleusis....Beginning of 6th century. Pythagoras.........582-507 Mathematician and philosopher. Anacreon...........c.570 Lyric poet. Simonides..........556-469 Of Ceos. Lyric poet. Hecataeus..........550-480 Geographer from Miletus. Theognis...........c.544 Elegiac poet. Hipponax...........c.540 Iambic poet of Ephesus. Heraclitus.........535-475 Pre-Socratic philosopher of Ephesus. Aeschylus..........525-456 Athenian tragic dramatist, b. Eleusis. Pindar.............518-438 Lyric poet. Bacchylides........c.518 Lyric poet.
Fifth Century Persian War........500-479 Greece vs Persia. Sophocles..........496-406 Greek tragic dramatist. Antiphon...........479-411 Attic orator. Herodotus..........484-425 Greek historian of Persian War, etc. Euripides..........480-406 Greek tragic dramatist. Socrates...........469-399 Greek philosopher. Mentor of Plato Critias............460-403 Politician (pro-Sparta), Elegic poet. Cousin of Plato. Thucydides ........460-400 Greek historian of Peloponnesian War. Lysias.............459-380 Attic orator; son of Cephalus, a Syracusan. Aristophanes.......448-388 Greek playwright, Athenian comic poet. Pericles...........443-429 Period of rulership. The Age of Pericles Andocides..........440-390 Attic Orator. Isocrates..........436-338 Attic Orator. Pupil of Socrates and of the Sophists. Peloponnesian War..431-404 Athens against Sparta. Xenophon...........430-355 Greek historian, b. Athens. Pupil of Socrates. Plato..............427-347 Greek philosopher. Pupil of Socrates. Diogenes...........412-323 Greek Cynic philosopher; pupil of Antisthenes. Athens Loses War...404 Sparta lays seige to Athens. Athens capitulates. Rule of the 30.....404-403 The 30 included Plato's uncle Charmides and cousin Critias. Cyrus and 10,000...401 Anabasis is Xenophon's eyewitness account.
Forth Century Socrates Executed..399 For corrupting youths and introducing new gods. Lycurgus...........396-325 Attic Orator. Aeschines..........390-314 Attic Orator. Aristotle..........384-322 Greek philosopher. Pupil of Plato. Teacher of Alexander. Demosthenes........384-322 Attic Orator, generally considered the greatest. Demades............380-319 Athenian orator and demagogue. Dinarchus..........361-291 Last of the ten Attic Orators. Plato's Memoir.....350 Plato's autobiographical seventh epistle. Plato Dies.........347 Laws and Critias left unfinished. Alexander..........336-323 The Great. Student of Aristotle.
Late sources of minor interest and relevancy are limited to the Alexandria-based poets. Apollonius.........270-245 Of Rhodes. Alexandrian poet. Bion...............c.250 Bucolic poet. Moschus............c.250 Bucolic poet. Theocritus.........c.250 Bucolic poet.

* This list omits some of my sources including fragmentary works, a few Iambic and Elegiac poets,
some relevant later works and nearly all the Greek Mathematician (from Thales to Pappus).
Copyright (c) 2006 by J. Wells. All rights reserved.