I will say that I am at my umpteenth reading of this abundant work of Plato. I can see what you want to talk about: Starting from the ‘Ionian tradition’ to the ‘Italian tradition’ & then the ‘socratics’...
I also find that we can’t quite understand contemporary philosophy without bypassing on ancient philosophy.
Spinoza & Leibniz have often been in the ‘monad’ or ‘God-Nature’; I think we should break order & start from the 'noumenon' (Kant & Hume) for the ‘monad’… 
100% agreed. I used to be way more interesting when I was 20yo. I read em all, from pre-socratics to maximilien rubel. then I jumped into contemporary and left the past behind. that’s what I’m saying. perhaps now in my 40’s it’s time to
rescue them, mainly the holy trinity: socrates, plato, aristoteles. but something is telling me to begin with spinoza/leibniz cause they were the ones who most impressed me in my 20’s. then kant and hume (let’s see if this time I get to dominate kant, never could for real).
