Crito of Alopece ( or ; , gen.: Κρίτωνος, Kríton Alōpekēthen; c. 469 – 4th century BC) was an ancient Athenian agriculturist depicted in the Socratic literature of Plato and Xenophon, where he appears as a faithful and lifelong companion of the philosopher Socrates. Although the later tradition of ancient scholarship attributed philosophical works to Crito, modern scholars do not consider him to have been an active philosopher, but rather a member of Socrates' inner circle through childhood friendship. Life Crito grew up in the Athenian deme of Alopece alongside Socrates and was of roughly the same age as the philosopher, placing his year of birth around 469 BC. Plato's Euthydemus and Xenophon's Memorabilia both present him as a wealthy businessman who made his money from agriculture, which scholars speculate was conducted in Alopece itself. He seems to have married a woman with impressive aristocratic pedigree and had at least two sons, including the elder Critobulus (Κριτόβουλος, Kritóboulos), one of Socrates' young followers, and the younger Archestratus (Άρχέστρατος, Archéstratos), later a successful general. His participation in the events surrounding the trial and death of Socrates of 399 implies that he survived into the 4th century BC. Diogenes Laërtius treats Crito as a philosopher himself and attributes to him the composition of 17 dialogues; he also names three further sons of Crito: Hermogenes, Epigenes and Ctesippus. Modern scholars generally treat Diogenes' account as apocryphal, most likely a conflation with another author, since the genre of Socratic literature did not develop until well after Crito's period of flourishing and these sons appear nowhere in the contemporaneous historical record. Despite his strong friendship with Socrates, historians are skeptical of Crito's status as a philosopher, as opposed to mere associate within the Socratic circle, due largely to his portrayal as a pragmatic and non-propositional thinker within the literature. In literature Crito is depicted prominently by Plato in the Euthydemus, the Phaedo, and his own eponymous dialogue, and also receives mention in the Apology. Xenophon portrays him in his Memorabilia and Symposium. According to the dialogue which bears his name, Crito had grown up as a friend of Socrates, which is reinforced by their intimacy in the Euthydemus. In the Apology and Phaedo, Plato portrays Crito as present at the trial and execution of Socrates, attending to the familial and practical matters having to do with the philosopher's death. In addition to offering help with