Aristoxenus of Tarentum (c. 370/360 – after 300) is the author to whom we owe the most early biographies of Socrates (d. 399) — leaving aside the testimonies provided by Plato, Xenophon and other Socratics — and Plato (d. 347/348). To Aristoxenus’ works go back many anecdotes taken up in compilations of later authors, from Diogenes Laertius (3 c. CE) to John Tzetzes (12 c. CE). Aristoxenus was traditionally blamed with a biased ill-disposed treatment of both Socrates and Plato. Recently there was an attempt to write off the unfavorable character of Aristoxenus’ testimony to the quality of ancient biography as a genre, to which emergence our author had contributed. To deal with the problem, we must first of all look closely at the said biographies as they are reconstructed from fragments by Fritz Wehrli.

Aristoxenus of Tarentum, Socrates, Plato, biography