Stephanus pagination is the system of reference and organisation used in the works of Plato. Plato's Socratic Dialogues, will be divided into numbers - each number covering a few paragraphs. Each number will be divided into equal sections a, b, c, d and e. As such, this system is often used to reference Plato - for example, Symposium 172a would refer the reader to the opening of Plato's Symposium.

This system of pagination is based on an edition of Plato by Henricus Stephanus (Henri Estienne). The numbers refer to page numbers in the various volumes of his edition of 1578. No work spans more than one volume; so, there are not multiple occurrences of the same page number for a single work. As there were multiple volumes, however, the numbers need to be used in conjunction with a title in order to make any sense, i.e. 172a by itself could refer to passages in several dialogues, but Symposium 172a refers only to one passage.

Stephanus numbers

Volume 1

(2a-16a) Euthyphro
(17a-42a) Apology
(43a-54e) Crito
(57a-118a) Phædo
(121a-131a) Theages
(132a-139a) Rival Lovers
(142a-210d) Theætetus
(216a-268b) Sophist
(271a-307c) Euthydemus
(309a-362a) Protagoras
(363a-376c) Hippias minor
(383a-440e) Cratylus
(447a-527e) Gorgias
(530a-542b) Ion

Volume 2

(11a-67b) Philebus
(70a-100b) Meno
(103a-135e) Alcibiades
(138a-151c) 2nd Alcibiades
(153a-176d) Charmides
(178a-201c) Laches
(203a-223b) Lysis
(225a-232c) Hipparquus
(234a-249e) Menexenus
(257a-311c) Statesman
(313a-321d) Minos
(327a-354c) Republic I
(357a-383c) Republic II
(386a-417b) Republic III
(419a-445e) Republic IV
(449a-480a) Republic V
(484a-511e) Republic VI
(514a-541b) Republic VII
(543a-569c) Republic VIII
(571a-592b) Republic IX
(595a-621d) Republic X
(624a-650b) Laws I
(652a-674c) Laws II
(676a-702e) Laws III
(704a-724b) Laws IV
(726a-747e) Laws V
(751a-785b) Laws VI
(788a-824a) Laws VII
(828a-850c) Laws VIII
(853a-882c) Laws IX
(884a-910d) Laws X
(913a-938c) Laws XI
(941a-969d) Laws XII
(973a-992e) Epinomis

Volume 3

(17a-92c) Timæus
(106a-121c) Critias
(126a-166c) Parmenides
(172a-223d) Symposium
(227a-279c) Phædrus
(281a-304e) Hippias major
(309a-310b) Letter I
(310b-315a) Letter II
(315a-319e) Letter III
(320a-321c) Letter IV
(321c-322c) Letter V
(322c-323d) Letter VI
(323d-352a) Letter VII
(352b-357d) Letter VIII
(357d-358b) Letter IX
(358b-358c) Letter X
(358d-359c) Letter XI
(359c-359e) Letter XII
(360a-363e) Letter XIII
(364a-372a) Axiochus
(372a-375d) On Justice
(376a-379d) On Virtue
(380a-386b) Demodocus
(387b-391d) Sisyphus
(392a-406a) Eryxias
(406a-410e) Clitophon
(411a-416a) Definitions

External links

Explanation (http://plato-dialogues.org/faq/faq007.htm)