ABSTRACT
The "Plato-loving lady" addressed by Diogenes Laertius in his treatment of Plato was probably not the only person in antiquity who felt the need of assistance when addressing herself to the dialogues. 1 People with the means and inclination could have received such training within a school setting of some sort, where a teacher might have discussed the nature of the dialogue form, the different kinds of dialogues, and the way they should be organized. Moving beyond such introductory subjects, students would presumably have encountered the dialogues themselves. We know very little, however, about curricula in Platonist philosophical circles: would teachers and students have simply read through entire dialogues together as a way of learning Plato's thought? Or would a teacher have structured a course around themes in Platonic philosophy, illustrating topics of interest with selected passages?
