Plutarch

Lore & Background

Plutarch lived most of his life at Chaeronea and was initiated into the mysteries of the Greek god Apollo. He probably took part in the Eleusinian Mysteries. Around AD 95, he was made one of the two sanctuary priests for the temple of Apollo at Delphi. He also served as a magistrate at Chaeronea, held the office of archon, and was epimeletes (manager) of the Amphictyonic League for at least five terms from 107 to 127, organizing the Pythian Games. Late in his life, Emperor Hadrian appointed him nominal procurator of Achaea. Plutarch and his wife, Timoxena, had at least four sons and one daughter, though two died in childhood. His family remained in Greece down to at least the fourth century.

Reader's Guide

Plutarch's best-known work is the Parallel Lives, a series of biographies of illustrious Greeks and Romans arranged in pairs to illuminate their common moral virtues and vices. He was not concerned with history so much as the influence of character on the lives and destinies of men, often devoting space to charming anecdote and incidental triviality. The surviving Lives contain 23 pairs, each with one Greek life and one Roman life, as well as four unpaired single lives. Some Lives no longer exist, and many are truncated or have been tampered with. His Life of Alexander is one of five extant tertiary sources on Alexander the Great, and his Life of Caesar is a main account of Julius Caesar's feats. Plutarch's works provide insight into human nature and remain a key source for classical biography and moral philosophy.

Did You Know?

• Plutarch was possibly named Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus upon becoming a Roman citizen.
• He was a priest at the Temple of Apollo in Delphi and helped revive the Delphic shrines.
• A portrait bust was dedicated to Plutarch for his efforts in helping to revive the Delphic shrines.
• Plutarch's treatise on Plato's Timaeus is dedicated to his sons Autoboulos and Plutarch.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus (c. 46 – 120) was a Greek historian, biographer, and essayist." — Plutarch "Greek text cited from K. Ziegler et al., Plutarchus. Vitae Parallelae, vols. I–III (Munich-Leipzig, 1964–2000)." — Plutarch "ἀρετή τοι δυστυχοῦσι μεγάλην ἔχει μοῖραν αἰδοῦς καὶ παρὰ πολεμίοις, δειλία δὲ Ῥωμαίοις κἂν εὐποτμῇ πάντων ἀτιμότατον." — Plutarch "Valour, however unfortunate, commands great respect even from enemies: but the Romans despise cowardice, even though it be prosperous." — Plutarch