Socrates Early Life
Socrates was the son of Sophroniscus, an Athenian stone mason and Phaenarete, a midwife. Because he wasn't from a noble family, he probably received a basic Greek education and learned his father's work at a young age. It was believed that Socrates worked as a stone mason before he did philosophy. Socrates married Xanthippe, a younger woman, and he had three sons: Lamprocles, Sophroniscus and Menexenus. Athenian law required all able bodied males serve as citizen soldiers, on call for duty from ages 18 until 60. According to Plato, Socrates served in the armored infantry known as: the hoplite with shield, long spear and face mask. He participated in three military campaigns during the Peloponnesian War, at Delium, Amphipolis, and Potidaea, where he saved the life of Alcibiades, a popular Athenian general. Socrates was known for his courage in battle and fearlessness, a trait that stayed with him throughout his life. However, Plato pointed out that in the eyes of his students, Socrates possessed a different kind of attractiveness, not based on a physical ideal but on his brilliant debates and penetrating thought.