My dissertation examines a tradition of political thinkers who sought to understand the place of myth in politics, and who in particular turned to Plato for guidance in their efforts.  At different junctures in the history of the reception of Plato, the myths that Plato wrote inspired both imitation as well as theorizing on the place of myth in political philosophy.  If Plato has long been celebrated for making reasoned argument the foundation of philosophy, my work traces an alternative tradition of Platonism based on his use of myth.  In turn, the historical reception of Plato’s myths and the role they play in his philosophical writings opens up a wider discourse on the role of mythology in political thought.