Socrates in Love: Revelation of Aspasia

Armand d'Angour talks about how a mystery 'clever woman' mentioned by Socrates was identified and the fascinating implications of this. “All I know is that I know nothing” is Socrates’s famous dictum. Yet in Plato’s Symposium , set in 416 BC, he says that the one thing he knows about is Love. How is that possible? Because, he explains, he was taught about Love when he used to attend the teachings of a clever woman. The name given there is Diotima, a fictional character. Yet her name has a historical reference, and is associated with a dateable claim. Recent research has found the answer: beneath the disguise of “Diotima” is Aspasia of Miletus. The historical data underlying the identification—and its astonishing implications—will be revealed in this fascinating talk by Armand d’Angour. Join us at the Megaron in Thessaloniki on 4th June 2026. Armand D’Angour is a Professor of Classics at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Jesus College. He has published articles and chapters on the music, literature, and culture of ancient Greece and Rome, and has conducted research into reconstructing the sounds of ancient Greek music. Recent books include Socrates in Love: The Making of a Philosopher (2019), How to Innovate: an Ancient Guide to Creative Thinking (2021), and How to Talk about Love: an Ancient Guide for the Modern Lover (2025). He is currently working on a book about how singing of Homer's epics can throw light on the vexed Homeric Question. The event will be chaired by Kevin Featherstone, Emeritus Professor at the London School of Economics and Chair of the Anglo-Hellenic League. He has held visiting positions at the University of Minnesota; New York University; Harvard University; and, the European University Institute (Firenze). He has received a number of honours: including, 'Grand Commander, Order of the Phoenix' of the Hellenic Republic (2021); honorary doctorate, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (2022); and Honorary Greek citizenship (2023). He has written extensively on modern Greek politics, and on the European Union. He is a regular contributor to Greek and international media on European and Greek politics.