Plutarch
c.46 A.D. – 120 A.D.

Ploutarchos was born about 46 A.D. at Chaeroneia in Boetia. His higher education was commenced in Athens in 66 A.D. He paid more than one visit to Rome – once as chargé d’affaires of his native town – and here gave public lectures in philosophy. He spent all his mature life at his native place until his death about 120 A.D. His extant writings comprise his historical works, and those which are grouped under the general head of Opera Moralia. To the former belong his Parallel Lives – the work by which he is best known. These contain a gallery of forty-six portraits of the great characters of the ages preceding his own. They were published in successive books, each pair forming one book, and a Greek and Roman, with some resemblance between their respective careers, being chosen for the subject of each. The sequels which come after most of the Lives, giving a detailed comparison of each warrior, statesman, legislator or hero, are regarded as spurious by some critics. Plutarc’s Biographies are monuments of great literary value for the precious materials which they contain, based as they are, on lost records. The author adheres throughout to his professional purpose, portrait of character; he either omits of briefly touches upon the most famous actions or events which distinguish the career of each subject of his biography, holding that these do not show a man’s virtues or failings so well as some trifling incident, word or jest. The other, and less known, half of his writings – The Morals – are a collection of short treatises, sixty or more, (though certainly not all from Plutarch’s hand), upon various subjects – Ethics, Politics, History, Health, Facetæ , Love-stories, Philosophy and Isis and Osiris. The nine books of his Symposiaca or Table-talk exhibit him as the most amiable and genial of companions; while his dialogue Gryllus reveals a remarkable sense of humour. Though not a profound thinker, Plutarch was a man of rare gifts, and occupies a unique place in literature as the encyclopaedist of antiquity.