The most prominent citizen of Alopeke was Sokrates (469-399 BCE), the great philosopher. He was born to Sophroniskos (a stonemason or sculptor) and Phenarete (a midwife). Famous for his questioning teaching method, Sokrates was a widely recognized and controversial figure in his native Athens, so much so that he was frequently mocked in the plays of comic dramatists (e.g. in The Clouds of Aristophanes).

His attitude to life is perhaps best summed up in the following anecdote: "Sokrates, though he was already far gone in years, was not ashamed of going to get lessons from Lampon the lyre-player, and in reply to one who jeered at him for this he said that it was better to be accused of being late-learned than unlearned".

Sokrates eventually provoked the fury of the Athenians and was found guilty of impiety and corrupting the city's youth. His execution profoundly changed ideas about what it meant to be heroic since he died only because he refused to abandon his principles.


Did you know that 455 personal names associated with Alopeke are known to us today? For more information, visit The Lexicon of Greek Personal Names (LGPN).

Are you interested in Sokrates and his works? Then take a look at the following:

http://www.philosophypages.com/ph/socr.htm
http://www.san.beck.org/SOCRATES1-Life.html
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/socrates/socrates.HTM