Mossé was born in Paris on 24 December 1924,[1] as the daughter of a wine merchant.
She was the sister of Eliane Mossé, researcher in macroeconomics, and Arlette Mosse, clinical nutritionist.
In the winter of 1941, during World War II and aged 16, she first read a text on liberty and democracy by Demosthenes; since then, she dedicated her life to Greek history, never having married or having any children.
Mossé belonged to the same school of historical thought with Jean-Pierre Vernant and Pierre Vidal-Naquet.
[4] Her works have been translated into many languages including English, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and modern Greek.